Ackeem Auguste hit a record triple century for Team Saint Lucia U-23 squad, leading them to victory against the Commonwealth of Dominica in the inaugural Under-23 Bilateral series.
The match, held at Mindoo Phillip Park, showcased a dominant batting performances from both teams. Auguste’s outstanding innings of 308 off 257 balls, included 23 fours and 18 sixes, propelled Saint Lucia to a total of 488 all out.
This remarkable achievement surpassed the previous highest individual score by a Saint Lucian player. With the opposition bowled out for 124 in their second innings, the victory was sealed for the Saint Lucia U-23 team by an innings and 10 runs.
Batting first, Dominica posted a challenging 354 runs all out spearheaded by their captain Stephen Pascal with a fantastic knock of 160 off 218 balls with 18 fours and five sixes.
Then, on Monday, (the final day of the three-day match) it was the ‘Auguste show’ as the left-hander and former Windies Under-19 skipper pulverized the Dominican bowlers to smash a magnificent 308 off 257 balls, hitting 23 fours and 18 sixes, at a 119.84 run rate.
Resuming on the overnight score of 191 with Saint Lucia poised at 313 for 7, Auguste raced past 275, the highest score ever previously achieved by a Saint Lucian batter which featured Kimani Melius in 2015.
The 20-year old debonair player broke loose to score the largest tally ever on Saint Lucian soil in any format of the game.
With a deficit of 134 from the first innings, Dominica was bowled out for 124 in 37.1 overs, losing by an inning and 10 runs. The wickets were shared between Jayden Elibox 3 for 11, Sky LaFeuille 2 for 10, Lee John 2 for 11, Keon Gaston 2 for 32, and Royce Paul 1 for 07.
This exceptional display of skill and determination by Ackeem Auguste has earned him well-deserved commendation from his teammates and coaches.
While recalling the splendour of his 2015 innings, Melius, Captain of Saint Lucia’s Under -23 squad noted that records are meant to be broken.
He added that Auguste “batted very well, and his maturity … playing at all age group levels, (and) to score it, he must be commended for that effort.”
Head coach of the Saint Lucian team John Eugene told reporters that the input of Saint Lucia’s High-Performance Centre (HPC) redounds to the benefit of emerging players like Auguste. He noted that Ackeem is in “a unique position now, in terms of his development … and going forward, I think he’s hungry for runs and the pathway looks a lot freer for him, just the way that he has composed this innings.”
Summarised scores were as follows:
Dominica U23- 1st innings – 354 all out (97.3 overs)
Saint Lucia U23 – 1st innings – 488 all out (96.4 overs)
Dominica U 23 2nd innings – 124 all out (37.1 overs).