One of the Caribbean’s most anticipated cross-border amateur cricket competitions, the Saint Lucia/Dominica Tapeball Cricket Series, wrapped up in a celebration of sport and community last Sunday at Dominica’s Jolly John Playing Field, located in the Kalinago Territory. After a full week of fast-paced, high-energy matches across multiple divisions, the tournament concluded with five heart-pounding final-day encounters that crowned Saint Lucia Youth as champions of the flagship T10 Blast competition. The victory capped off a dramatic run of play that kept cricket fans across both islands on the edge of their seats from opening day to the final delivery.
The road to the T10 final began on Sunday morning with two opening knockout clashes. In the first fixture, Dominica’s Dynamic Stars got off to a strong start, overcoming Saint Lucia Veterans B to secure their spot in the next round. The second match saw Saint Lucia Youth dominate hosts Kalinago Veterans, earning a convincing win that pushed them directly into the tournament final. Local side Kalinago Youth claimed victory in the third preliminary match, but their run ended in the semifinal, where Dynamic Stars pulled off a solid win to book their place against Saint Lucia Youth in the title decider.
Weather and time constraints forced a slight adjustment to the final, cutting the contest from 10 overs per side to seven. Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, Saint Lucia Youth put on an explosive batting display, posting an imposing total of 124 runs for the loss of five wickets — a score that put significant pressure on the Dynamic Stars batting line-up. The Dominica side fought back hard, reaching 75 runs after eight completed overs and hitting the 100-run mark in the second-to-last over, setting up a tense finale off the final six balls. But Saint Lucia’s bowlers held their nerve under pressure, restricting Dynamic Stars to just 109 runs by the final delivery and securing a memorable 15-run victory to lift the T10 trophy.
The final day of action capped off a week of competition that began with earlier divisional matches on Thursday. In that 20-over full-length fixture, the Saint Lucia national side bounced back from two opening-game defeats to secure a convincing six-wicket consolation win against the home side Kalinago Nationals. Kalinago Nationals posted a solid total of 161 runs for 8 wickets after batting first, with top contributions from Neo Davis (46 runs) and Frederick Paris (32 runs). Saint Lucia’s bowlers Magaran Shoulette and Atanus Alberson each claimed two wickets to keep the home side’s total within reach. The Saint Lucian chase was seamless: the visitors reached the target of 162 for the loss of four wickets in just 16.3 overs, led by a man-of-the-match innings of 74 runs from Alvin Lafeuille. Supporting contributions from Jason Simon (30 runs) and Orey Changoo (24 runs) anchored the run chase, despite strong bowling from Kalinago’s Jason Paris, who took two wickets, and Keenan Paris and Abbisha Etienne, who took one wicket each.
Following the conclusion of all matches, the closing ceremony featured an awards presentation to recognize top performers and divisional champions across the tournament. In the T20 divisions, Kalinago Youth (Dominica) took home the youth championship title, while Saint Lucia Veterans A claimed the veterans crown. Additional honours went to Saint Lucia Mixed Team, who won the invitational trophy, and Saint Lucia Veterans B, who took home the Division 2 title.
Individual awards also highlighted the tournament’s standout players. Jason Simon of Saint Lucia topped the tournament’s run-scoring charts in the youth division, while Sean Auguste was the leading run-getter among veterans. Keenan Paris of Dominica finished as the top wicket-taker in youth cricket, with Glen Eurysthee claiming the same honour in the veterans division. Wicketkeeping awards went to Orey Changoo (Saint Lucia, youth) and Abbot Lucien (Dominica, veterans). Rounding out the individual honours, Neo Davis was named youth Most Valuable Player, and Glen Eurysthee earned the veterans MVP award.