Central Windward trumps Grassroots Cricket Festival

The Central Windward cluster of the St Vincent and the Grenadines chapter of the West Indies Cricket Board Digicel Grassroots Cricket Programme finished on top of the Under-17 10/10 Cricket Festival{{more}} which came off last Saturday at the Grammar School Playing Field.

Led by Gidron Pope, the 2011 Youth Cricketer of the Year, as determined by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association, Central Windward powered past North Leeward in the final.

Pope made 47 and Kellon Samuel 22; Central Windward made 99 for 6 from their 10 overs.

In response, North Leeward was restricted to 62 for 6 from their allotment. Cuthbert Springer picked up 2 for 8 and Pope 2 for 10.

In reaching the finals, Central Windward defeated Arnos Vale by nine wickets. Arnos Vale reached 49 for 8, to which Central Windward responded with 55 for 1, with Pope making 27 not out.

North Leeward got the better of Dauphine in their preliminary match. North Leeward got up to 78 for 3 from their 10 overs, but Dauphine replied with 66 for 3, to lose by 12 runs.

In the third place play-off, Arnos Vale scored 74 for 2, which was erased by Dauphine, who posted 75 for 4 in 8.4 overs.

Territorial Development Officer of Cricket in the Windward Islands, Vincentian Irvin Warrican, who is spearheading the programme, told SEARCHLIGHT that he was pleased with the progress of the various clusters.

“The inter-cluster play-offs come at the end of each quarter and are part of the measures we use to assess what the coaches are doing and how the players are improving,” Warrican said.

The progamme, which got started last April, runs in quarters, with the next quarter ending in March.

The current set-up sees clusters operating at the North Union Playing Field, the Arnos Vale Playing Field, the Dauphine Playing Field and the Petit Bordel Playing Field.

Each of the clusters has three assigned coaches.(RT)