分类： sports

The Caribbean island of Saint Lucia’s tight-knit cricket community is united in grief this week following the passing of pioneering former youth captain Sharm Pierre, who died at 45 after a brief battle with illness.

Hailing from the small village of Piaye, Pierre carved his name into Saint Lucian cricket history as the first athlete from the island to earn the captaincy of both the Saint Lucia and Windward Islands Under-15 cricket squads. A product of Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School, Pierre spent his professional career employed at Jalousie, while leaving an indelible mark on youth cricket across the region.

As a top-order batsman known for his steady leadership at the crease, Pierre had the privilege of captaining a generation of young talent who would go on to earn international acclaim. Among his young charges were future West Indies cricket stars Daren Sammy and Garey Mathurin, both Saint Lucian natives, as well as Grenadian batting standout Devon Smith, all during their formative Under-15 playing days.

In an official statement shared across its social media channels over the weekend, the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association (SLNCA) opened up about the loss, extending heartfelt gratitude and profound respect for Pierre’s decades of service, transformative leadership, and lasting contributions to growing the sport on the island. The association also highlighted that Pierre’s career and character remain a shining example for all upcoming generations of Saint Lucian cricket players, who will continue to carry forward his legacy.

As the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) fast approaches, the defending champion Saint Lucia Kings sent a clear warning to their title rivals with a dominant 52-run warm-up win over the Saint Lucia Premier League (SPL) North XI at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on Wednesday night.

Opting to take the batting first under cloudless skies on a hard, batting-friendly pitch, the defending champions got off to a blistering start from the first over, maintaining a ferocious run rate all the way through their 20 overs to post an imposing total of 271 runs for the loss of six wickets. Stand-in captain Ackeem Auguste set the tone for the dominant display, crafting a rapid 60 runs from just 30 deliveries, decorated by six crisp boundaries and four powerful maximums before retiring hurt.

The aggressive momentum did not slow after Auguste’s departure, with 19-year-old Antiguan talent Jewel Andrew picking up where the captain left off. Andrew smashed an even more spectacular 68 runs off only 30 balls, including five towering sixes that cleared the ground’s boundary ropes with ease. Middle-order batter Kamil Pooran chipped in with a quickfire 34 from 18 deliveries, while lower-order hitters Darren Nedd and Matthew Forde put the foot on the gas in the closing overs: Nedd notched 30 runs from nine balls, and Forde added 32 from just 13 deliveries to push the Kings to their mammoth match total.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Auguste highlighted the team’s intentional aggressive strategy heading into the warm-up contest. “We came into this game with a clear mindset to stay aggressive and back our stroke-play from ball one,” he said. “Jewel was sensational out there, and the way the middle and lower order finished things off gave us massive confidence heading into the main tournament.”

Chasing a daunting target of 272 runs to win, the SPL North XI put up a valiant fight, led by explosive knocks from Jaden Elibox (49 runs off 21 balls) and captain Stephen Naitram (37 runs off 17 balls). The contest swung irreversibly back in the Kings’ favour thanks to a devastating bowling performance from young seamer Amari Goodridge, who tore through the North XI’s batting lineup to claim a five-wicket haul of 5 wickets for 30 runs from his four allotted overs. Goodridge’s spell was backed up by McKenny Clarke, who took 2 wickets for 34 runs, while Auguste chipped in with one wicket for 28 runs to help restrict the SPL North XI to 219 runs for 9 wickets at the end of their 20 overs, sealing a comprehensive victory for the Kings. Goodridge was also named Player of the Match, having added an unbeaten 25 runs off 13 balls with the bat earlier in the game.

Auguste heaped praise on Goodridge’s match-winning performance, noting: “Amari was outstanding with the ball. To pick up five wickets on a pitch where batsmen were hitting the ball so cleanly shows his quality and character. He broke key partnerships every time North XI threatened to get momentum back, and that was the decisive factor for us tonight.”

The team’s preparation will continue with one final pre-season warm-up match at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on Thursday, before the squad travels to St Vincent & the Grenadines for their 2024 CPL season opener against the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, scheduled for Sunday at Arnos Vale Stadium. Immediately following the opening fixture, the Kings will return home to kick off their series of home matches in the tournament. The warm-up win comes as the side puts the finishing touches on pre-season training, with captured behind-the-scenes images showing assistant coaches Tino Best and John Eugene leading training sessions including catching drills and resistance work for young players ahead of the tournament.

Following a dramatic closing day of preliminary competition Wednesday, Saint Lucia’s top sailor Luc Chevrier has secured his spot in the medal round of the ILCA 7 men’s Laser Radial event at the Central American and Caribbean Games, putting him one step away from a chance at the region’s top podium prize.

The 27-year-old Olympian will hit the water off Punta Salinas for two decisive final races this Friday, with all previous preliminary standings wiped out as the top five remaining competitors fight for gold, silver and bronze.

Chevrier entered the 10-race preliminary series as one to watch, and delivered consistent results across the opening contests. He notched a second-place finish, two fourths, a third, and claimed his fifth victory in the series’ ninth race, a performance that pushed him into the overall lead halfway through the final day of qualifying. His steady sailing through the first nine heats kept him firmly in contention for a top spot heading into the last preliminary race.

Disaster almost struck in the 10th and final preliminary heat, however. A stray clear plastic bag became caught underneath Chevrier’s hull, creating drag that slowed his boat throughout the race. The 27-year-old had no idea of the issue until after he crossed the finish line, where he ended up placing ninth. Despite the setback, he held on to secure his place in the final five-boat medal fleet.

After all preliminary results were calculated, Chevrier finished with 18 net points, just two points behind Puerto Rico’s Pedro Fernandez Gamboa, who notched his second win of the series in Race 10 to claim the top preliminary spot with 16 net points. Bermuda’s Sebastian Kempe sits just one point behind Chevrier at 19 points, while Joshua Higgins of the Cayman Islands rounded out the top five with 40 points.

For Chevrier, the advancement comes with added motivation: he already owns a bronze medal from the 2023 regional championships, and is eager to improve on that result in this year’s event. Speaking with local outlet St Lucia Times ahead of the final, he made clear he has high hopes for his performance on Friday.

With all previous standings discarded for the medal round, every sailor starts from zero, leaving the door open for any of the top five to take gold. Chevrier says he is ready to put the last-race mishap behind him, and if conditions cooperate and he executes his plan, he will be in a strong position to challenge for the top prize.

In a standout performance at the Ciudad Juan Bosch Sports Complex on Wednesday, Saint Lucia’s national netball team, the Piton Sparks, delivered a dominant 44-29 victory over Bermuda to lock in a medal-contending position at the Central American & Caribbean Games. Entering the match as the underdog, the side held a 2-1 win-loss record that pushes them to third place in the overall standings, a result that defied pre-tournament rankings.

The upset is all the more notable given the gap in global rankings: Bermuda sits 10 places above Saint Lucia, at 21st compared to Saint Lucia’s 31st. But from the opening whistle, the Piton Sparks controlled key areas of the court, outperformed Bermuda in rebound battles, and got clinical production from their shooting circle to turn the tide in their favor.

The first quarter ended in an even 10-10 draw, with both teams firing on all cylinders. Bermuda converted 83% of its first-period attempts (10 goals from 12 tries), but Saint Lucia matched every score to keep the game deadlocked. The momentum shifted definitively in the second quarter, when Saint Lucia outscored Bermuda 12-8, taking a 22-18 lead into the halftime break.

Saint Lucia extended its dominance in the third quarter of the match, holding Bermuda to just five goals while adding 11 of their own to stretch their advantage to 33-23. Bermuda struggled to find any consistent attacking rhythm, managing only five successful conversions from nine attempts. The Piton Sparks closed out the win in the final frame, scoring 11 goals to Bermuda’s six to cement a convincing 15-point victory.

Full match statistics highlight just how clinical Saint Lucia’s performance was. The side converted 75% of its 59 total shot attempts, compared to Bermuda’s 69% success rate (29 goals from 42 attempts). Leading the scoring charge was goal attack Dasha Eugene, who notched 22 goals from 31 attempts. Teenage shooter Neriah Charlery, hailing from Desruisseaux, turned in an outstanding performance with 15 goals from 18 attempts for an 83% accuracy rate, while captain Melika Destang added seven goals from 10 attempts to round out the scoring.

It was not just the attack that won the game, however; Saint Lucia’s defensive unit turned in a game-changing performance to disrupt Bermuda’s attacking flow. Defender Lizzy Dorvius led the side with three key interceptions, while goal defence Jermia Martial recorded five deflections and one interception. As a team, Saint Lucia notched eight interceptions and eight deflections throughout the contest. The Piton Sparks also dominated the rebounding battle 10-3, with Eugene grabbing four rebounds alone to limit Bermuda’s second-chance scoring opportunities.

Now, the team faces its toughest tests of the tournament as it looks to hold onto its medal position. On Thursday, Saint Lucia will take on Jamaica, one of the world’s top netball sides and recent Commonwealth Games silver medallists. A day later on Friday, they will face Barbados in a match that is widely expected to decide who takes home the bronze medal at this year’s games.