by Terry Finisterre
Saint Lucia’s Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (DSCG) received rave reviews for its hosting of six matches in the the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, which concluded on the weekend with India beating South Africa in the final.
Within 36 hours of the final ball at Kensington Oval, Hurricane Beryl bowled through the island chain, wreaking havoc on St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Grenada. Barbados and Saint Lucia, though, were spared the worst effects of the Category 4 tropical cyclone.
On Tuesday morning, 2 July, after the all-clear was given, the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports began assessing the major sporting facilities on the island, with input from Sports Saint Lucia Inc.
Based on the early findings, the DSCG came through with flying colours, as did most of the leading sporting venues. Reports from the George Odlum Stadium, Philip Marcellin Ground, Mindoo Phillip Park, Soufriere Stadium, Dennery Playing Field, and Gros Islet Playing Field all indicate that the playing surfaces and association superstructures remain in good shape.
Word from Director of Sports (Ag.) Mr. Clivus Jules is that resilience of the DSCG in particular can be attributed in part to the work done in preparation for the Cricket World Cup.
“The playing surface held up very well,” he said. “And the drainage issues the facility would have had before do not seem to be evident now. With the volume of water that accompanied Hurricane Beryl, everything is still intact. As a matter of fact, the rain did well for the grass!”
With the DSCG set to host Caribbean Premier League T20 cricket in September, and the Saint Lucia Semi Professional Football League gearing up for its stretch run in coming weeks, the local sporting fraternity will be delighted to observe that positive attention to the competition environment is yielding positive results.
