The WINLOTT Super 6 Windward Islands U19 Tournament served up a thrilling comeback story on Sunday, 12 April 2026, at Dominica’s Benjamin’s Park, where Grenada’s under-19 men’s cricket side pulled off a dramatic win against St Lucia, powered by a career-best performance from young spinner Shamel Hillaire.
Coming into the fixture, both sides carried contrasting momentum. Grenada was still bouncing back from a underwhelming defeat in their tournament opener, while St Lucia entered the match brimming with confidence after a lopsided win over St Vincent and the Grenadines. A brief rain shower pushed back the start of play, but once the action got underway, Grenada won the pre-match toss and opted to set a target batting first.
Grenada’s batting innings got off to a disastrous start. The team lost their first wicket with just 8 runs on the board, when opening batsman Jordan John was clean-bowled for 5. Raekeim Lewis Charles followed just overs later, trapped leg before wicket for 11, leaving the Grenada camp reeling at 2 wickets down early. With St Lucia’s bowlers consistently hitting tight lines, runs proved difficult to come by, and Kemile Abraham’s attempt to steady the innings could not halt the wicket column. By the 14th over, Grenada had slumped to 42 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
A small but critical recovery followed, as Abraham and Hillaire put together a steady partnership to push the total up to 74 for 5 before another wicket fell. St Lucia’s bowling attack never let up on the pressure, however, and Grenada was eventually bowled out all out for 123 runs. Abraham finished as the team’s top scorer with 24 runs, while the best of the other contributions came from Jayonn Henry (16), Hillaire (12), Lewis Charles (11) and Jeremy Edwards, who finished not out on 11. For St Lucia, Bjorn Fanis led the bowling attack with impressive figures of 3 wickets for just 23 runs, receiving solid support from captain Theo Edward (2 for 20) and Cody Fontenelle (2 for 26), while Nathaniel Joseph and Tyler Venner each picked up one wicket apiece.
Chasing a modest target of 124 runs to win, St Lucia only needed just over 3 runs per over to secure victory, and the early stages of their innings suggested they would cruise to a comfortable win. But Grenada’s bowlers had other plans, launching a clinical fightback that turned the match on its head.
Pace bowler Aaron Edwards struck early blows, removing both of St Lucia’s opening batsmen – captain Theo Edward for 15 and Roystan Fannis for 9 – to leave St Lucia at 43 for 2 after 8 overs. Just three balls after Edwards’ second wicket, left-arm spinner Aravinda Bishop extended Grenada’s advantage by dismissing Jonathan Daniel lbw, dropping St Lucia to 43 for 3.
A brief recovery pushed St Lucia to 73 for 3, but it was not enough to withstand the spin pressure that Grenada brought to bear. Bishop and Hillaire triggered a catastrophic collapse that saw St Lucia lose their final 7 wickets for just 30 runs, folding all out for 103 runs to hand Grenada a 20-run victory.
Making his first tournament appearance after sitting out the opening match on the bench, Hillaire delivered a match-winning spell, finishing with sensational figures of 6 wickets for 26 runs from just 5.4 overs. The standout performance earned the young bowler well-deserved Man of the Match honours. Edwards backed up Hillaire with 2 wickets for 13 runs from 5 overs, while Bishop claimed 1 wicket for 20 runs to cap a dominant bowling display from Grenada.
After the match, Grenada captain Khavaughn Bartholomew highlighted his side’s resilience following their opening loss, crediting the team’s adjusted game plan for the win. “I just want to thank the Lord for the opportunity. We didn’t get it right with the batting, but we came through with the bowling. We put the ball in the right areas, got early wickets and put them under pressure. The spinners played a massive role. The man of the match wasn’t with us yesterday, so we made a change, and you can see it worked.”
Speaking after picking up his award, Hillaire said he had remained confident he would get his chance to contribute after starting the tournament on the bench. “I first want to thank God for the opportunity. We didn’t bat well today, but we came out on the field and fought until we won. I had faith that I would do well. I was on the bench yesterday, but I knew my time would come.”
The result moves Grenada into third place in the tournament standings, trailing early leaders St Lucia and defending champions Dominica. Up next, Grenada will return to action on Tuesday, 14 April 2026, to take on St Vincent and the Grenadines as the round-robin phase of the tournament continues.
