Saint Lucia’s national tapeball cricket squad has returned home with an unprecedented dual championship haul after a dominant competitive tour of St Vincent and the Grenadines, where the side competed across two separate high-stakes bilateral series against local top-tier opponents.
The first of the two showdowns pitted the visiting Saint Lucian team against a select squad drawn from the SVG Adventist Premier League (APL). The opening fixture of this series unfolded at Richman Hill Playing Field on Sunday, October 24, where Saint Lucia posted a formidable total powered by top-order dynamo Dane Edward, who anchored the innings with a blazing 40 runs to lay the foundation for a 24-run winning margin. The squad closed out the APL series with a clinical 6-wicket triumph in the second meeting, wrapping up a 2-0 clean sweep of the bilateral contest. Stanley Cherry was awarded Man of the Match for his match-winning contributions in the series decider, while Edward’s consistent run of strong performances earned him the tournament’s overall Most Valuable Player accolade.
Fresh off their APL series victory, the Saint Lucian side turned its attention to a second bilateral campaign against the official St Vincent and the Grenadines national tapeball team, hosted at the London Playing Field. The opening fixture of this series on October 25 delivered one of the tour’s most explosive batting displays, as Jason Simon bludgeoned an unbeaten 92 runs off a mere 27 deliveries to propel his side to a massive total, supporting by another fluent half-century knock of 64 runs from the red-hot Dane Edward. The dominant batting performance paved the way for a resounding 71-run victory for the Saint Lucian visitors. The second fixture of the national team series saw Saint Lucia chase down their target with six wickets in hand, led by a sensational all-round showing from Stanley Cherry, who claimed three key wickets with the ball before smashing 23 runs off just 8 deliveries with the bat to earn his second Man of the Match award of the tour. Additional fireworks came from Orey Changoo, who struck 62 runs off 17 balls, and Edward, who notched a quickfire 38 runs from 18 deliveries. Edward was once again named the series’ Most Valuable Player, marking his second MVP honour across the entire tour. A planned third deciding fixture for the national bilateral series was ultimately abandoned without play due to unsafe, rainy weather conditions.
Alongside the championship-winning national tapeball squad, a Saint Lucian veterans cricket team traveled to St Vincent and the Grenadines to compete in the annual Vincy Independence Hardball competition, finishing their campaign with one win and two losses across three competitive outings.