KINGSHOLM ENJOY SAINT LUCIA
A report by Steve Voyce
Kingsholm Cricket Club, a successful village side from Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom, ended their tour of Saint Lucia a very happy bunch despite losing all their matches. The visitors who arrived on the tiny Caribbean island of St Lucia on Wednesday 23rd February and departed on Sunday 6th March, played five matches against local opposition at five different venues.
They opened their itinerary on Friday 25th February at the Balata Playing Field against South Castries, who batted first and piled up a massive 317 for 9 from their allotted 40 overs. Alex Antoine blasted a top score of 102, which came off 77 deliveries and contained twelve fours and five sixes. Antoine, who survived a chance early in his innings, added 64 for the 2nd wicket with Esau Gabriel who scored 37, and then 77 for the 4th wicket with Tobie Edmund who made 30. Xavier Gabriel, who batted at No.10, smashed five fours and four sixes on his way to an undefeated 50. For Kingsholm, off-spinner Phil Brown was their most successful bowler with 4 for 46.
The visitors made a decent start towards their huge target but from 101 for 2 in the 18th over they were bowled out for 179 in 30 overs. Shaun Uthup, opening the innings, made a well-played 51, while Trevor Done with 26 and Ian Eggleton, who made 35 not out, managed meaningful contributions. For South Castries, Mario Lawrence captured 5 for 36, while Xavier Gabriel and Alex Antoine picked up 2 for 41 and 2 for 42 respectively.
Two days later Kingsholm suffered their second defeat when they went down to a Soufrière Representative XI at the Soufrière Playing Field. Batting first after winning the toss, the Englishmen were routed for 94 in 19.1 overs with only their captain Tim Williams reaching double figures with 16 not out. Soufrière's most successful bowler was Velbert Sylvester, who picked up 4 for 17. The other wicket-takers were Methodius Paul with 3 for 7 and Dashley Victorin with 2 for 42. Soufrière's openers, Jude Clement, 35 not out, and Sylvester Mitchel, 30, set up the victory with a stand of 59 before the target was achieved in 15.2 overs for the loss of two wickets, both of which were taken by Phil Brown.
Kingsholm's third match was against South Castries Colts who won the encounter by 71 runs. The local side, which included Rudi Paul and Wendy Henry from the island's flourishing ladies cricket league, took first knock and amassed a commanding 234 for 5 from their allotted 35 overs. Shawn Straker, who hammered four fours and three sixes in a top score of 73, and Kemrol Charles, who made 67 with four fours and one six, put on 161 for the first wicket, as the Colts established their dominance very early in the match. Ked Kadas, 29 not out, and Tobie Edmund, 18, chipped in with useful contributions. For the visitors, Steve Hickey finished with 3 for 43.
Kingsholm's reply was a spirited one before they were dismissed in the 30th over for 163 with Ian Eggleton getting an attractive 63. Other double-figure scores came from Calvin Cole, 15, John Veits and Jamie Henderson, 17 each, and Jai Uthup, 12. South Castries Colts' most successful bowler was Derek Giddens, who captured 3 for 20, while the other wicket takers were Rudi Paul 2 for 38, Alex Antoine 2 for 34, Wendy Henry 1 for 24 and Gerson Alexander 1 for 27.
A South Castries President XI completed a two-wicket win over the tourists at the Bexon Playing Field, thanks mainly to Kemrol Charles, who made 51 which contained three sixes and three fours from 38 deliveries, and to Bryan Calixte, batting at No. 10, who remained not out on 20 from just 9 deliveries, three of which were sixes.
Batting first, the English players managed a decent 148 for 9 from their allotted 30 overs. David Daniels, Trevor Done, and Steve Hickey, who remained not out, were joint top scorers with 21 runs each, while Neil Rayer 18, Tim Williams 17 and 10 each from Ian Eggleton and Colin Bennett, contributed to a competitive total on a pitch where runs were at a premium. For the President XI, Rudi Paul picked up 2 for 27, Gerson Alexander 2 for 34, Bryan Calixte 2 for 25, while Wendy Henry, V. Smith and Kemrol Charles ended with one wicket each.
At one stage, the local side were four wickets down for 36, before Charles and Smith, who scored 14, consolidated with a 5th wicket stand of 37. The visitors then wrestled the initiative back in their favour and looked set to register their first win in four matches as the home team slipped to 124 for 8 in the 26th over. However, S. Lesporis' sedate 25 not out and Calixte's thumping strikes out of the ground, brought relief and victory to the South Castries team with eleven balls remaining. David Daniels 3 for 20, and Neil Rayer 3 for 38, were Kingsholm's chief wicket takers, while Steve Hickey and Ryan McGhee picked up one wicket each.
Kingsholm's final match was played on Friday 4th March at the Beausejour Cricket Ground against an Over-35 team, which included local tour co-ordinator, Roland Cox. The local side batted first and put together 227 for 6 from 40 overs, which turned out to be a winning total. José Fedée, who opened the innings, top scored with a painstaking 56. Keith Charlery was not out on 55, an innings that contained eight boundaries, while John Edwards of Kent contributed 40. Steve Voyce picked up 2 for 42, while David Daniels, Ben Cambridge, Phil Brown and Ian Eggleton took one wicket each.
In reply Kingsholm were dismissed for 168 with Tim Williams leading the batting with 47, which included eight boundaries. Ben Cambridge 19, Neil Rayer 17, Steve Voyce 17, and David Daniels 12, contributed positively in a losing cause. For the local team, captain Andrew Leonce ended with 3 for 31, while Keith Charlery 2 for 20, Joseph Hall 2 for 27, Kent Crafton 2 for 27 and Aventon Henry were the other wicket takers.
Away from the playing fields the visitors, who were accommodated at the Bay Gardens Inn, had a wonderful time. They took time off to see some of the island's natural attractions. One such activity was a private Boat Cruise onboard motorboat "Leisure" along the West Coast of the island during which time they visited the Sulphur Springs (the world's only 'drive-in' Volcano), bathed under the Toraille Waterfall, and followed this with lunch at the Still Restaurant. They also enjoyed the local cuisine offered by the many restaurants in the Rodney Bay area, visited the Gros Islet Friday Night Street Party, and also thoroughly enjoyed the island's most popular Reduit Beach, as well as the hotel's swimming pool.
Everyone agreed that the most striking memory each would take away from this once-in-a-lifetime visit was the wonderfully warm reception and welcoming friendliness the St Lucians gave to the whole touring party during their stay.
According to Neil Rayer, leader of the group and also Sales Manager of Gullivers Sports Travel:
"The tour was superbly handled by Roland from the start to the finish. The Bay Gardens Hotel could not do enough for us, providing us with every request including a birthday party BBQ and a cake. Even though we lost all five matches, we nevertheless improved with every game and enjoyed the hospitality shown to us at the various venues. The icing on the cake was the final game at Beausejour, which will be remembered by us all. St. Lucia has proved itself without doubt an excellent destination for sports tours to the Caribbean."
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