Honours were shared on October 29, at the South Rivers playing field in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as rain stopped play between the host nation and Saint Lucia in the final of their Bilateral Tapeball series. Saint Lucia won the opening match on October 24, with the home team returning the favour on October 25.
Saint Lucia won the toss and decided to field in the finale. Merville Samuel dismissed Romano Pierre with the first ball, the fifth wicket of the series for Samuel. Wickets fell in quick succession, and SVG were 95-6 in 11.2 overs when rain stopped play.
Saint Lucia’s Murgaran Shoulette was named most valuable player of the competition. Garette Alphonse rang up 235 runs to lead all batsmen. He made three half-centuries. Merville Samuel and Kesron Daniel took five wickets each. Jamian Thomas was named the most outstanding wicketkeeper.
Earlier in the piece, Saint Lucia drew first blood, defeating their hosts by six wickets. SVG posted a commanding 251-5 in 20 overs. Romano Pierre made 123, Deroy Strough 51. Saint Lucia successfully chased down the total, reaching 253-4 in 17.1 overs, behind Garette Alphonse’s 76, along with Murgaran Shoulette’s and Jason Simon’s 56 each.
On October 25, SVG beat Saint Lucia by 74 runs. The Vincentians made 288-6, with 75 from Cameron Strough, 50 from Asief Hooper, and 45 from Romano Pierre. Saint Lucia never really got going in their reply, and reached 214-9 in 20 overs. Garette Alphonse made 79, and Murgaran Shoulette added 37.
The tour also included an Adventist Premier League (APL) component. SVG APL defeated their Saint Lucia counterparts by 67 runs in the first match. Saint Lucia APL revenged themselves by four runs to even the series. The five-over decider went to the hosts, who attained victory with just one ball to spare.
