St. Lucia claimed the first victory of the Windward Islands U23 50-over series on Thursday, defeating Dominica U23 by five wickets in a match shortened to 25 overs per side due to early morning rain at the Botanic Gardens.
Sent in to bat after St. Lucia won the toss, Dominica looked poised for a big total when openers Stephan Pascal (42) and Lluvio Charles (33) put on a fluent 70-run partnership. But once both openers fell, the innings lost momentum rapidly.
Malakai Xavier chipped in with 18, but the rest of the line-up crumbled, leaving Dominica 139 all out from their allotted overs.
St. Lucia’s bowlers took control after the initial stand. Aaron Joseph delivered the standout spell of the innings with 3/11 from 5 overs, supported by Keon Gaston (2/16) and Tarrique Edwards (1/23).
Dominica captain Stephan Pascal shouldered the blame for the collapse. “To be honest, being inserted on that wicket was tough… but I take responsibility. Lluvio and I had a proper partnership and I felt I gave it away when I should have batted through,” he said.
He added that his team also failed to execute with the ball. “I still feel the total was enough to defend, but we didn’t stick to the plans. That’s something to work on, but I’m confident we’ll improve tomorrow.”
St. Lucia wasted no time in their reply, racing to 140/5 in just 16.2 overs.
Opener Jaden Elibox produced a commanding unbeaten 87, taking apart the Dominican attack with clean striking and smart placement.
Tarrique Edwards added 25, helping stabilize the chase after a shaky start that saw St. Lucia slip to 3/2.
Dominica’s wicket-takers were Kyron Phillip (2/18), Delaney Alexander (2/15), and Pascal (1/26).
St. Lucia U23 captain Noel Leo praised his team’s discipline and confidence. “We stuck to the plans with the ball and restricted Dominica. With the batting, we backed ourselves,” he said. He also credited his squad’s composure for the recovery after early wickets, adding, “We have a very confident group… Jaden just put his hand up today and batted in the game.”
Looking ahead, Leo said, “The positive is our batting continuing strongly, because our bowling will back it up.”
With the victory, St. Lucia take a 1–0 lead in the three-match series.
The teams return to the Botanic Gardens tomorrow for the second game as Dominica look to level the contest.
