After half a decade without domestic women’s cricket action on the island, Saint Lucia’s top female cricketers returned to the pitch this July, culminating in a tense, exciting final held Sunday at the La Fargue Playing Field hosted by the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association (SLNCA). In an all-district clash between neighboring communities, home side Choiseul clinched the tournament title with a dominant seven-wicket victory over Laborie, powered by a career-defining all-round display from all-rounder Alyiah Alfred.
The day got off to a promising start for Laborie, after captain Skyy Smith won the pre-match coin toss and elected to set a target by batting first. What looked like a solid strategic choice quickly unraveled, however, as Choiseul’s leading bowlers imposed relentless pressure on the Laborie batting line-up from the first over. Tight line-and-length bowling from Alfred, Choiseul captain Roylin Cooper and veteran Swayline Williams kept run rates low and created constant wicket threats, bundling Laborie out for just 99 runs inside 20 overs, at 99 all out in the 19.1st over.
Alfred delivered the most devastating bowling performance of the match, finishing with four wickets for only 18 runs conceded across her four overs (24 legal deliveries). A remarkable 17 of those deliveries were dot balls, leaving Laborie batters unable to get any momentum against her spin. Cooper backed her up perfectly, taking two wickets for 19 runs across her four-over spell, while Williams turned in an equally impressive outing, claiming 2 wickets for just 8 runs in only two overs of tight bowling.
Laborie’s innings was marked by small partnerships that failed to turn into a match-winning total. Manissa Paul fell for only five runs with the team score at 16, leaving Chewed Verneuil to join opener Makeva Anthony for a 35-run second-wicket stand that briefly steadied the innings. A run-out, followed by two quick wickets from Alfred, halted Laborie’s progress just as they looked to build a competitive total.
Anthony later put on a 26-run partnership with Alisha Emmanuel to push Laborie’s total to 91 for 6, but the end came quickly after that. Cooper and Williams cleaned up the tail, taking the final four wickets for just eight runs to wrap up the Laborie innings before the full 20 overs were completed.
Chasing a modest target of 100 runs for victory, Choiseul made light work of the chase with Alfred once again leading the charge from the top of the batting order. She guided the side to the required total in just 10.4 overs, finishing the match not out on a blistering 56 runs from only 33 deliveries, including four towering sixes and two clinical fours. Alicia Herman chipped in with 12 runs from 12 balls, while Britnee Norbal added an unbeaten 11 from 14 deliveries to help Choiseul reach 103 for 3 and secure the seven-wicket win.
The four-team tournament, which kicked off in early July, marked a landmark moment for women’s cricket in Saint Lucia, bringing back domestic competitive women’s action after a five-year hiatus. Alongside finalists Choiseul and Laborie, South Castries and the SLNCA Development Team also took part in the historic competition, giving young emerging players a chance to compete at the domestic level and grow the women’s game on the island.