A Nathaniel Joseph hat-trick floored the St Vincent and the Grenadines’ batting attack on Wednesday at the Geneva Playing Field in Dominica, and Saint Lucia extended its lead atop the Winlott Inc Windward Islands Under-19 Men’s Super50 Championship points table. Saint Lucia won by 79 runs.
Winning the toss and batting first, the Saint Lucians were all out for 179, facing 36.3 overs. Jermian Thomas and Roystan Fannis put on a half-century stand for the first wicket, separated when Thomas went for 28 from just 19 balls, including two fours and two sixes. Fannis fell soon thereafter for 21.
The captain, Theo Edward, nearly doubled his runs total for the competition, hitting 43 from 52 deliveries, with a four and three sixes. Along with Tyler Venner, he took the score from 104-4 to 145-5, losing his wicket in the 27th over. The last five wickets produced just 34 runs, as Kevin Joseph took four wickets.
The Vincentian reply never got going, as they lost Alston Bobb in the opening over, from the bowling of Tyler Venner. The second over was the Nathaniel Joseph Show, as the pacy South Castries right-hander got Ozaid Edwards, Kevin Joseph, and Jorden Charles in consecutive balls.
Venner came back in the fifth over to take two more wickets of his own – Jawayne Adams for three, and Kazado Henry for a duck. Well adrift at 12-6, SVG’s memories of their first tournament win a day prior seemed a distant memory.
Opening batsman Zach Thomas and allrounder Lebron Douhlas cobbled together a 40-run partnership that lasted just shy of 60 balls. Neil Poyotte eventually removed Douglas for seven, and Olani Slack followed to Liam Wilson for yet another duck. Thomas fell to Poyotte for 54, before Joseph fittingly put the bow on the win, taking Elran Glasgow for 16.
Joseph ended with 4-10 from 5.2 overs, and Venner 3-10 from five overs. Poyotte had 2-16 from four overs. Joseph, however, now has the joint most wickets in the competition, 11, at a 2.84 economy rate and 4.73 average. Venner has seven wickets, fourth most after four rounds.
Dominica also defeated Grenada on Wednesday to remain level on points with Saint Lucia, though well behind on run rate. After a rest day on Thursday, Saint Lucia will play Grenada, who beat them last Sunday, and defending champions Dominica, who they beat on Tuesday.
