标签： Saint Lucia

The 2024 Winlott Inc Windward Islands Under-19 Men’s Super50 Championship has gotten off to an explosive start, with defending champions and host nation Dominica jumping to the top of the early tournament standings after securing wins in both of its opening weekend matches. The opening two days of play delivered a mix of surprise upsets and dominant performances from the four competing teams, with 2023 runners-up Saint Lucia splitting its opening fixtures: a commanding victory over St Vincent & the Grenadines followed by a tight low-scoring loss to Grenada.

Sunday’s clash at Portsmouth’s Benjamin’s Park delivered one of the opening weekend’s standout individual performances, as left-arm spinner Shamel Hillaire’s incredible 6-wicket haul for just 26 runs guided Grenada to a 20-run victory over Saint Lucia. Grenada won the toss and elected to bat first in the 35-over limited-overs contest, posting a total of 123 all out. Unusually, the team’s top scorer was extras, which contributed 29 runs to the total. Five Grenadian batters reached double figures, with Kemile Abraham top-scoring among registered players with 24 runs off 65 deliveries.

In Saint Lucia’s bowling attack, fast bowler Bjorn Fanis turned in the most impressive performance, claiming 3 wickets for 23 runs from his 6.1 overs. The paceman put consistent pressure on Grenada’s middle and lower order, breaking key partnerships to keep Grenada’s total well below 150. All-rounder Cody Fontenelle chipped in with 2 wickets for 26 runs from six overs, while Saint Lucia captain Theo Edward also picked up 2 wickets for just 21 runs from his five overs. Opener Liam Wilson, though he finished the innings without a wicket, delivered extremely economical spell, conceding only seven runs from four full overs.

Chasing a modest target of 124 runs to win within 35 overs, Saint Lucia got off to a flying start, reaching 30 runs without loss after the first five overs. Captain Edward got the chase off to a steady start, scoring 15 runs off 15 balls, and the team’s momentum held through the next three overs, adding another 12 runs. The first wicket fell when opening partner Roystan Fannis was dismissed for nine runs, followed quickly by Johnathan Daniel’s departure for 11 runs, which left Saint Lucia at 43 for 3 wickets.

A 30-run stand in 36 balls between Tyler Venner and Aiden Scholar stabilized the innings briefly, but Venner’s dismissal for a team-high 16 runs at the hands of Hillaire triggered a dramatic late-order collapse. Hillaire went on to claim six of the last seven Saint Lucian wickets, and also assisted in a runout to wrap up the innings, bowling Saint Lucia out for 103 runs. Only four batters from Saint Lucia managed to reach double figures in the disappointing chase.

The day before Sunday’s loss, Saint Lucia delivered a dominant display against St Vincent & the Grenadines at the Geneva Playing Field, sealing a 163-run victory to open its tournament campaign. Put in to bat first after losing the toss, Saint Lucia posted a competitive total of 208 all out in 43.5 overs, led by Jean Claude Emmanuel’s 41 and Johnathan Daniel’s 44. Fontenelle chipped in with a useful 33, while Kanil Nelson contributed 15 to the total. For St Vincent & the Grenadines, bowler Kazado Henry turned in a strong individual performance with 4 wickets for 30 runs.

In response, St Vincent & the Grenadines’ batting line-up collapsed completely, being bowled out for just 45 runs in 16.1 overs. Young fast bowler Nathaniel Joseph produced a devastating five-wicket haul for Saint Lucia, taking 5 wickets for only 17 runs from his six overs, while Wilson picked up two additional wickets to help finish off the innings.

As the tournament moves into its next round of fixtures, Saint Lucia is scheduled to face undefeated table-toppers Dominica on Tuesday, in what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated matches of the early group stage.

The Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Table Tennis Championships is currently underway at the newly renovated Table Tennis Pavilion in Santo Domingo’s Parque del Este, delivering high-stakes competitive action and surprise breakthroughs from underdog teams across the region.

Heading into the knockout stage, only one English-speaking nation managed to secure a spot in the elite final eight: Saint Lucia. The Caribbean island’s men’s team navigated a challenging Group 2 draw to earn their place in the quarterfinals, marking an impressive milestone for the country’s table tennis program.

Saint Lucia’s road to the knockout rounds started with a tight contest against regional powerhouse Cuba. While the team fell to Cuba overall, it produced a historic individual victory: star player DeAndre Calderon outlasted Cuban Adrian Perez in a five-set thriller, winning 12-10, 7-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-2. This win marks the first time any senior men’s player from Saint Lucia has defeated a Cuban opponent in international competition. Calderon notched another win in the group stage against Jorge Campos, taking the match 3-1 after dropping the opening set, though Cuba ultimately claimed the group win with victories in the remaining two rubbers.

Saint Lucia bounced back from the Cuba loss to secure a critical 3-1 team victory over Trinidad & Tobago, cementing their second-place group finish and knockout spot. The tie began with Calderon sweeping Josiah Joseph in straight sets, before Trinidad & Tobago’s Malik Gopaul leveled the score with a 3-0 win over Manie Eleuthere. Leshon Francis restored Saint Lucia’s lead with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Anson Lowkie, and Calderon closed out the match with a second straight straight-set win over Gopaul to punch Saint Lucia’s ticket to the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinal matchup, Saint Lucia drew eventual tournament champions Puerto Rico, ultimately falling 3-1 to the dominant Puerto Rican squad. Calderon once again delivered a highlight win for Saint Lucia, rallying from two sets down to defeat Puerto Rico’s Enrique Rios 3-2, with set scores of 2-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5. However, Puerto Rico’s depth proved too much for the Saint Lucian side: Eleuthere fell 3-0 to Angel Naranjo, Francis lost 3-0 to Jadbiel Torres, and Naranjo sealed the Puerto Rican win with a victory over Calderon in the final rubber.

Following their quarterfinal exit, Saint Lucia competed in placement rounds, dropping a 3-0 result to Guatemala and a narrow 3-2 decision to El Salvador, with Calderon picking up two more individual wins in these matches. For Saint Lucia’s women’s team, the tournament served as a valuable developmental opportunity, though the side failed to take a set against group opponents Cuba and Guatemala, finishing at the bottom of their qualifying group.

Puerto Rico left the team competition as the undisputed top performer, claiming both the men’s and women’s team titles with consistent, strong play across all rounds.

Following the conclusion of the team competition, tournament play shifted to the group stages of singles and doubles events on Monday. The 2026 CAC Senior Table Tennis Championships is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday in Santo Domingo. This event is the second of three back-to-back table tennis competitions hosted in the Dominican capital, coming after the 2026 CAC Games qualification tournament and preceding the Caribbean Youth Championships, which will run from March 17 to 23.

The road to the Saint Lucia Football Association Northern Zone Under-20 Men’s District Tournament title is down to two finalists, as Gros Islet and La Clery secured their spots in the championship match with vastly different semifinal results played Sunday at Marchand Grounds. The matchups capped a busy weekend of regional preliminary and playoff action across the island-nation’s four zonal competitions, with results coming in from Eastern, Western and Southern Zone fixtures as well.

Gros Islet entered the semifinal off a dominant 7-0 preliminary round blowout of Babonneau at Grande Riviere Playing Field, and the team picked up right where it left off against the same opponent. By halftime, Gros Islet had already built an insurmountable 6-0 lead, and never let up through the final whistle to finish with a lopsided 10-0 victory.

The first-half scoring binge was led by Rickelme Lionel, who notched a quick hat-trick in the final five minutes of the opening period, finding the back of the net in the 35th, 38th, and 40th minutes. Thierry Morille opened the scoring for Gros Islet with strikes in the 21st and 31st minutes, before Niyel Fontenelle closed out the first-half scoring with a goal in the 43rd minute.

Even after Babonneau made a goalkeeper change at halftime to stem the tide, Gros Islet’s attack continued to click. Just minutes after the restart, Morille completed his hat-trick, and added a fourth personal goal in the 52nd minute. Devonte Howell got in on the scoring with a 69th-minute strike, and Mehki Stanislaus rounded out the double-digit result with an 80th-minute penalty.

In contrast to Gros Islet’s easy pathway to the final, previously unbeaten La Clery fought a hard battle to claim its spot, requiring a penalty shootout to overcome a resilient Marchand side. Justice Germaine put La Clery up 1-0 in the 38th minute, and the side held that lead deep into the second half. But with just seven minutes left on the clock, Jalen Pamphile found an equaliser for Marchand, pushing the semifinal to penalties to decide a winner. After a tightly contested shootout, La Clery emerged with a 5-4 win on penalties to advance.

Across the island, the Eastern Zone completed its preliminary round action Saturday at Micoud Playing Field, with two teams picking up wins to advance. Dennery secured a 3-1 victory over Desruisseaux, behind second-half and late-game goals that broke a first-half tie. Corin Hunte put Dennery up in the 24th minute, only for Al Thomas to equalize for Desruisseaux just four minutes later. Bourne Innocent restored Dennery’s lead in the 72nd minute, and Tafari Martin sealed the three points with a stoppage-time goal in the 90th minute. Hosts Micoud earned a narrow 1-0 win over Mabouya Valley, with Mareus Aubert scoring the match’s only goal late in the 85th minute.

At Anse La Raye Playing Field in the Western Zone, Canaries pulled out a hard-fought 3-2 win over host side Anse La Raye. Kyron Sydney got Canaries off to a fast start, scoring twice in the opening 35 minutes to put his side up 2-0. Anse La Raye fought back before halftime, with Joshua Fevrier cutting the deficit to one in the 44th minute, and Andriano Auguste equalizing just after halftime in the 63rd minute. It was Derry John who had the final say, netting the game-winner for Canaries in the 74th minute to secure the victory.

The Southern Zone kicked off its tournament Friday at the Phillip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort, with two opening matches delivering contrasting results. Vieux Fort North and Choiseul played out an eventful 2-2 draw, with the lead changing twice over the course of the game. Asheim Joseph put Vieux Fort North up just before halftime in the 43rd minute, and Devin Philip equalized for Choiseul five minutes after the break. Lenus Johnny restored Vieux Fort North’s lead five minutes later, only for Nahim Attirnne to lock in the draw with a 67th-minute equalizer, splitting the points between the two sides. In the other Southern Zone opening match, Soufriere picked up a 2-0 shutout win over Vieux Fort South, with second-half goals from Cassian Jn Baptiste (70th minute) and Sherquan Joseph (80th minute) securing the three points.

The opening day of the 2026 West Indies Championship delivered a standout individual performance from 22-year-old former West Indies Under-19 skipper Ackeem Auguste, who fell just five runs short of a century in his first elite fixture following an early-year medical procedure. Playing for the Windward Islands against defending champions Guyana at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua & Barbuda on April 13, the elegant left-handed batter crafted a patient 95 from 177 deliveries, anchoring his side’s innings through testing early conditions.

After Windward Islands won the toss and elected to bat, Auguste steered the team through tricky early stages of the innings, building critical middle-order partnerships to steady the innings. He combined for a 79-run stand with Kavem Hodge, followed by a 61-run union with captain Sunil Ambris that lifted the side to 148 for 3, putting them in a strong position after the loss of early wickets. Over four and a half hours at the crease, Auguste showcased his classical batting technique, striking 12 boundaries around the ground before he was eventually dismissed.

In post-innings comments, Auguste broke down the challenges he faced during his knock, noting that Guyana’s bowling attack set a deliberate strategy of delivering wide of the stumps to force him into errors. This game plan forced the young batter to adjust his approach early on, exercising patience rather than chasing loose deliveries. Compounding the challenge was the playing surface, which Auguste described as tacky in the opening session, making it difficult to drive through the line of the ball.

“The wicket was a little difficult,” Auguste explained. “At the start, it was a bit tacky, so I was unable to hit through the line of the ball. So it kind of forced me to change my batting plan, and wait until the bowlers came a little closer for me to take it off. Then when the spinners came on, I was able to score a bit more freely, and I capitalised on that.”

Lower-order batter Ryan John contributed a useful 42 runs to push the Windward Islands total higher, but both Auguste and John were eventually dismissed by left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who turned in a match-winning six-wicket haul for Guyana. Among Motie’s other wickets were Shadrack Descarte, who scored 15, and wicketkeeper Noelle Leo, who fell for a duck. Windward Islands were eventually bowled out for 286 all out at the close of the first day’s play.

Before stumps were called on the opening day of the four-day first-class fixture, Guyana managed to face one full over, scoring two runs without losing a wicket. The defending champions head into day two trailing by 284 runs, with all 10 wickets still in hand to chase down the target. Auguste’s near-century, coming off the back of his recovery from a medical procedure, has already been hailed as a promising sign for the young batter’s future in top-flight West Indies cricket.

The Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Netball Tournament, hosted in Trinidad & Tobago, kicked off its opening weekend with a solid performance from Team Saint Lucia, who left the first two days of competition with an even 2-2 win-loss record after securing back-to-back victories against Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica at the UWI SPEC venue in St Augustine over the weekend.

Saint Lucia’s starting six, led by captain Naija Ferdinand and featuring Neriah Charlery, Sanya Emmanuel, Indiana James, Nyssa Lascaris, and Tamia Clarke, delivered consistent shooting to claim their opening win against Antigua & Barbuda on Saturday evening, with a final score of 34-14. Charlery dominated the shooting circle, sinking 31 of her 37 attempted shots, and only missed a single attempt in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, captain Ferdinand maintained a perfect shooting record, converting all three of her attempts on goal. For Antigua & Barbuda, the team made 14 out of 28 total shots to round out the final scoreline.

The next day, Saint Lucia claimed a second win against Dominica with a tighter 23-17 result. Once again, the pair of Charlery and Ferdinand led the team’s scoring: Charlery landed 13 of 16 attempts, while Ferdinand converted 10 of 12, enough to hold off a late push from Dominica. Dominica shot 53% from its 33 total attempts, falling short of matching Saint Lucia’s offensive output. Following the back-to-back wins, Netball Saint Lucia shared an update on its official social media channels, writing: “Big congrats to Team Saint Lucia on their second victory of the tournament. Not our best showing, but we got the job done, on to the next!”

After finishing in third place at the 2025 edition of the tournament, Saint Lucia faces a packed week of competition to defend its podium position. The team is scheduled to face the Cayman Islands on Monday evening, followed by a match against Grenada on Tuesday afternoon. Competition will ramp up significantly mid-week, as Saint Lucia takes on undefeated defending champions and tournament hosts Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday, before closing out its group stage play against Barbados on Thursday.

This year’s 15-player Saint Lucia squad has a distinctly young profile, with 11 competitors making their first appearance at the Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Tournament, including starting players James and Clarke. The roster draws athletes from eight different schools and multiple local communities across the island, and is led by head coach Shem Maxwell, assistant coach Jo-Ann Anderson, and team manager Alice Lynch.

One of the Caribbean’s most anticipated regional junior swimming competitions will have to find a new home in 2027, after the Saint Lucia Aquatics Federation (SLAF) formally pulled its hosting bid last month, citing unavoidable delays to the completion of the island nation’s new National Aquatic Centre (NAC). The Bahamas has quickly stepped forward to submit a provisional bid to host the 54th edition of the prestigious CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, with the event scheduled to run from March 26 to 31 at Nassau’s Betty-Kelly-Kenning Aquatic Centre if approved.

The formal notification of Saint Lucia’s withdrawal was delivered in a March 12 correspondence from SLAF President Paula James to Steven Joachim, Chairperson of the CARIFTA Congress. James’ decision followed an official update from the Ministry of Education, Youth Development and Sports (MYDS) that confirmed ongoing construction at the Beauséjour, Gros Islet facility would not finish before the Easter 2027 event, as the project timeline extends past next year’s Easter holiday.

In her statement following the withdrawal, James emphasized the disappointment of the local aquatics community while acknowledging the urgent need for alternate organizers to begin preparations. “Regrettably, the update indicates that the facility will not be completed within the timeframe required to support Saint Lucia’s bid to host CARIFTA Aquatics Championships in 2027,” James said. “While this news is very disappointing for us, we understand that the alternate host country will now have to start making their preparations. Once the National Aquatic Centre is completed, Saint Lucia looks forward to bid to host once again at a future date.”

The NAC project, which was fully launched in April 2025, is positioned adjacent to the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground and Saint Lucia’s National Tennis Centre. Designed to meet international competition standards, the purpose-built facility will feature an Olympic-regulation 50-meter pool fitted with a movable bulkhead, a dedicated warm-up pool, and covered spectator stands. On March 9, just three days before SLAF’s formal withdrawal notification, MYDS Permanent Secretary Dr Uralise Delaire formally communicated the construction delay to James and the federation leadership.

The Ministry of Education, Youth Development and Sports reaffirmed the island government’s unwavering commitment to finishing the aquatics centre and advancing competitive aquatics in Saint Lucia, even as it confirmed the 2027 hosting bid could not move forward. “While this development is unfortunate, the Government of Saint Lucia remains fully committed to the completion of the National Aquatics Centre and to the continued development of aquatics in Saint Lucia,” the ministry said in a statement. “The Government also looks forward to continued collaboration with the Saint Lucia Aquatics Federation toward the successful hosting of a future edition of the CARIFTA Swimming Championships once the facility is completed.”

Kenson Casimir, Saint Lucia’s Minister for Education, Youth Development and Sports, confirmed in an exclusive interview with local outlet *St Lucia Times* that the new facility is on track to be completed within the next 12 to 14 months. He added that the project will be a transformative development for competitive swimming on the island, where athletes currently train without access to a 50-meter international-standard pool. “We hope swimming continues to take its place in sports development in Saint Lucia… Of course, we know our team, they continue to will themselves on, despite the fact that they don’t have a 50-metre international-standard pool. Once that’s dealt with within the next 12 to 14 months, we can see improved times, improved performances,” Casimir said.

This is not the first time Saint Lucia has been forced to withdraw from hosting the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships: the island also pulled out of the 2019 event when construction had not yet broken ground. The current project has a long history of incremental progress: the modular pool structure was delivered to the island in early 2023, while site clearing work was completed in 2024, before full construction kicked off last year. For 2027, organizers have a backup plan in place if the Bahamas is unable to step into the host role: Trinidad and Tobago, which hosted the 2025 championships, has offered to serve as an alternate host. Jamaica has already secured hosting rights for the 2028 edition of the competition.