The eighth edition of the Sandals Under-19 50-Over Cricket Tournament is underway, with eight teams vying to dethrone five-time winners Gros Islet. The competition was officially launched on Thursday at Sandals Halcyon, co-hosted by the principal sponsors and the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association. The collaboration between the Jamaica-based resort chain and local cricket began in 2018 with an initial three-year commitment. Sunil Ramdeen, Sandals’ regional public relations and communications manager, said that the tournament had become a staple sponsorship for Sandals.
SLNCA operations officer Shaun Alcindor announced that games will be played at five venues before the final on June 21. He encouraged fans to come out and support the youngsters from various communities as they seek to advance to national age-group teams and beyond. Wayne Auguste, SLNCA president, highlighted the beneficial outcomes of the Sandals development tournament over the past seven years, highlighting the importance of supporting young men in the high-performance phase of cricket.
Glos Islet beat Babonneau twice in the opening round of games last weekend, with Roystan Fannis scoring 29 runs and Kanil Nelson and Leon Alexander each scoring 25 runs. Babonneau were restricted to 124-8 thanks to 32 runs from Yunieski Gustave and Kenrick Louis’ 28. South Castries also defeated Babonneau, thanks to an unbeaten half-century from Kensley Paul.
In conclusion, the Sandals Under-19 50-Over Cricket Tournament has been a significant success for the local cricketing community, with all four boys who have made the West Indies Under-19 team in recent years coming through the competition.
