The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Inter Primary Schools Developmental Cricket Competition wrapped up in dramatic fashion on Thursday at the Park Hill Playing Field, where defending champions South Rivers Methodist held off a fierce late challenge from Owia Government School to retain their coveted first-place title.
Owia Government won the toss and opted to set a target for the reigning champions, taking to the crease first in the 20-over contest. After a shaky opening to their innings that saw early wickets fall, the side settled into a steady rhythm through the middle overs, closing their allotted 20 overs at 219 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Sommer Chance contributed 14 runs to Owia Government’s total, while the bowling attack of South Rivers Methodist was led by Allison Dalzell, who delivered a match-winning performance with four wickets for just 31 runs, key to restricting Owia Government’s final score.
Chasing 220 runs for victory, South Rivers Methodist got off to a similarly slow start, with Owia Government’s bowlers putting early pressure on the top order. Ravion Derrick turned in the standout bowling performance for Owia Government, claiming one wicket for only 16 runs across his full four-over allocation. As the innings progressed, South Rivers Methodist found their momentum, but a tight final overs push from Owia Government kept the result in doubt until the very last ball. When the final over was completed, South Rivers Methodist finished on 210 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, falling just nine runs short of Owia Government’s target to hand the defending champions a narrow but hard-fought win. Amallie Lavia top-scored for South Rivers Methodist with an unbeaten 29 runs, while J’Shawn Henry chipped in with a valuable 19 runs.
Before the trophy presentation, the third-place playoff took place between Georgetown Government School and Biabou Methodist. Georgetown Government dominated the match from start to finish, securing a convincing 105-run victory. Batting first, Georgetown Government posted an imposing total of 249 runs for 5 wickets from their 20 overs, with Zorano Lewis leading the scoring with 31 runs. In reply, Biabou Methodist was bowled out for just 144 runs inside their full 20 overs, with Jaysean John delivering a devastating bowling spell for Georgetown Government, taking six wickets for only seven runs in three overs.
Following the conclusion of the finals, tournament organizers presented individual awards to recognize standout performances across the entire competition. Amallie Lavia of Owia Government claimed two individual honors: he finished as the tournament’s top run-scorer with 239 total runs, and was also named Most Valuable Player of the whole tournament. Uzziah Holder of Dorsetshire Hill Government School took home the award for leading wicket-taker, finishing with 19 wickets. Sommer Chance of South Rivers Methodist was named Best Wicket Keeper, while Shania Shallow, also of South Rivers Methodist, took home the honor of Best Female Player. Steven Glasgow of champion side South Rivers Methodist was named Most Valuable Player of the final.