Batting Into History

St. Lucia may be witnessing what may be history unfolding before their eyes while enjoying some exciting and energy-filled local cricket.
The ongoing St. Lucia Semi Professional Cricket League (SPL) has provided a platform, for six years now, for local cricketers to express themselves en route to bigger and better things. All that, while rubbing shoulders with some regional heavy hitters who have decided take part in what seems to be the local version of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Darren Sammy has certainly made his mark on local, regional and international cricket and the likes of Johnson Charles and to a lesser extent, Gary Mathurin also did their bit to put their names up in lights.
The current possible history making environment suggests that St. Lucia may well be on its way to providing its own next generation of that should excite the nation.
Current regional under 15, under 19 and senior teams seem unable to produce a roster without dynamic immerging St. Lucian cricketers embedded in their lineups.
At the under 15 level Nicken Justin, Kalem Charles, and Evan Gilbert made their presence felt at the just concluded rising stars tournament at the Windwards level, securing a 5-0 series win against the Leeward Islands with Garvey Serieux and Jean Claude Emmanuel listed as reserves.
The Under 19 St. Lucia team, only this week, defeated defending champions Dominica. After scoring 162 runs, with a half century from Jonathan Daniel, the well-oiled St. Lucian team led by Captain Theo Edwards restricted Dominica to 73 all out.
The Windward Volcanoes played The Guyana Happy Eagles earlier this week, and while they were not successful it is important to note that opening batsman Akeen Auguste, the current Golden Boy of St. Lucia cricket, scored a brilliant 95 laden with 12 fours in the first innings. Shadrack Descarte also put 39 on the board on the second innings.
There are a whole host of other names that can be mentioned including Kimani Melius and Keon Gaston but the point has been made that St. Lucia is not short on talent, particularly at this time, signaling something akin to a meteoric rise on the regional stage.
With the large numbers of potential first class local cricketers, at all levels, St. Lucia can only be proud of what seems to be seemingly unfolding in front of their eyes.
What is of concern is whether this is just an unplanned phenomenon or a deliberate design by the local cricketing authorities. If this is the result of a properly executed plan then kudos to those who were instrumental in laying a foundation that could translate into a cricketing history over time.
If it isn’t, the St. Lucia Cricket Association (SLCA), the government, district teams, and clubs would do well to capitalize on this momentum, this seemingly new wave of potential success.
It is evident that the local cricket fraternity is itching to climb to the next level, it would be shams if the local authorities do not match their enthusiasm.