Cottoy in seventh heaven

Good things really come to those who wait?

And Vincentian leg-spinner and Windwards Under-19 Captain Keiron Cottoy is finding that out.{{more}}

At present, the 18-year-old is continuing to mesmerise batsmen in the TCL West Indies Tournament in Barbados.

Cottoy has so far taken 26 wickets at a cost of just over eight runs per wicket.

Inclusive in his tally are four consecutive five-wicket hauls.

He had match analysis of 13 for 97 against Guyana, in the second round. Cottoy had 5 for 9, taken in Guyana’s first innings, then returned in the second to bag 8 for 89, but the Windwards still crashed to a 47-run defeat.

In the process, Cottoy established a new Windwards bowling record at the Under-19 level, erasing Rawl Lewis’ 15-year-old match analysis of 12 for 81, achieved in St. Kitts and Nevis against Barbados.

Cottoy’s last bounty was his 10 for 53, against Jamaica. Cottoy took 5 for 53, in Jamaica’s first innings, then had 5 for 13 in the second, as the Jamaicans were bundled out for 59.

The Windwards went to win outright by five wickets, last Wednesday. And, Cottoy became the first captain since Devon Smith in 2000 to lead the Windwards Under-19 team to full points.

Cottoy had figures of 3 for 64 versus Barbados, in his team’s first match, which the Windwards lost by seven wickets.

In 2006, Cottoy was named in the Windwards reserves, but was summoned to Guyana to play the last three of the Windwards matches. His performance was such that he was selected in a 20-man West Indies provisional squad.

Last year, however, he was inexplicably not selected to last year’s for the Windwards Under-19 team to the TCL West Indies Tournament in St. Kitts and Nevis; a disappointment that almost made him walk away from the game he loves dearly.

Cottoy represents local RBTT Premier Division Club Victors One, but despite being called in the 17-man squad last year for the Windwards senior tournament, he is yet to make it in the final 11.

He has been named a 35-man, St. Vincent and the Grenadines training squad to the 2008 Windwards senior tournament set for Dominica in September. (RT)