September 24 was a momentous day for the nation in more ways than one, as the Saint Lucia Kings played their part in celebrating the return home of Olympic 100m Champion, Julien Alfred.
Looking to return to the top of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) standings, the Kings marked “Juju Arrival Day” with a dominant victory against the Trinbago Knight Riders.
Match 26 of the CPL was played before a packed crowd at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad & Tobago.
The Kings delivered a payback performance after losing the reverse fixture at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground earlier in the tournament.
The Boys in Blue got off to a fast start, scoring 54 runs in the powerplay. The openers amassed a mammoth 145-run partnership, their largest of this year’s CPL season.
Saint Lucian Johnson Charles struck 89 runs off just 40 deliveries, taking full advantage of being dropped on nought and again on 35.
Kings skipper Faf du Plessis also played brilliantly, finishing with 59 runs. A handy 30 from Tim Seifert and a few smaller contributions propelled the Kings to 218-6, the highest total ever recorded at the venue.
With the ball, the Kings were equally clinical. At one point, they reduced TKR to 60-6 within just eight overs.
An eventual three-wicket haul from Noor Ahmed (3-39), along with key contributions from David Wiese (2-27) and Roston Chase (1-5), saw the Kings bowl out the Knight Riders for 138, securing an emphatic 80-run victory.
This win propelled the team to the top of the table and significantly boosted their net run rate.
Man of the Match, Johnson Charles, dedicated the victory to sprint queen Julien Alfred.
The 23-year-old returned to the island on Tuesday for the first time since her double Olympic medal triumph in Paris, where she also took 200m silver.
“This one was dedicated to Julien “Juju” Alfred,” Charles said. “Today is our homecoming [for] our Olympic gold and silver medalist…so this one was dedicated to her. Thank you Juju for bringing home the gold and silver medal. We appreciate it. This one’s for you.”
Head coach Daren Sammy commended his team for a solid all-around performance and was particularly pleased with the team’s execution with the ball.
“218 after losing the toss was really commendable,” Sammy emphasised. “But what was even most commendable is the way my men in the hot sun, the bowlers went and stuck to the plan. I thought Captain Faf was excellent with his matchups, making sure the right bowlers are bowling to the right matchups. And exactly how we planned, it is exactly how we executed.”
The Kings hope to maintain this momentum as they prepare for this year’s playoffs.
PHOTO CREDIT: Saint Lucia Kings.
Wow !! Just the break we needed from the recent spate of negative news we’ve been reading. Especially to Julien Alfred, thank you for bringing positivity too St.lucia, just the thought if you brings a smile to ones face.