The Fort Young sponsored Intermediate Cricket League organized by the Dominica Cricket Association got underway at the Botanic Gardens on Sunday July 30th between Sagicor General Somerset of St. Joseph and the Police Sports Club.
Somerset won the toss and sent the opponents in to bat, but they found the going tough and could only muster 139. Former Windward Island all-rounder veteran Roy Marshall was the main destroyer capturing 3 for 16 in 6 overs with some accurate leg spin bowling. He was supported by Medium Pacer Necroix Barry who captured 3 for 35
For the Police, Vivian Augustine top scored with 29, while Jean Paul got 18. Somerset got off to a brilliant start with openers Bradley Byam and Denny Titre and the pair reached 47 before Titre was out. Veteran Roy Marshall Joined Byam and they brought the score to 82 before the second wicket fell. At one stage there seemed a glimmer of hope for the Police as Somerset lost a few wickets in middle. However the lower middle order put up some strong resistance to see Somerset arrest the Police in the end. Somerset reached 140 for 7 in the end with well over 10 overs remaining. Sagicor General Somerset is therefore the 2017 Fort Young Intermediate Cricket League Champion.
Captain Roy Marshall said this was a welcome victory since for several years the club had gotten close enough but did not complete the task. He attributed the victory to more active participation and contribution by a greater number of players.
On the other hand club President Ambrose Sylvester who welcomed the Championship victory said it was another feather in Somerset’s cap.
He stated that this made it 16 cricket championships over the club’s 54 years of existence, which in effect means on average a championship victory every three and a quarter years. He further indicated that while the championship victory is important the success of such a long standing club must also be measured in its contribution to the community, and must continue its social enhancement Program. Last summer Somerset conducted an Information Technology and Sports Program over a three week period for children between the ages of 6 to 10 years old which resulted in 22 children graduating from the program.
Well, Dominica Cricket Association (DCA), that’s a good start in terms of publicizing the local cricket tournaments in Dominica.
Moving forward, the DCA should seek to revamp its website where it can provide regular & timely updates on various cricket leagues going on in Dominica.
Aye DCA, what about creating a player statistics page like Cricinfo player stats? Start now and over time, the statistics will build up. Things such as this can further serve to incentive cricketers in Dominica to take the game seriously and perform better.