Another booster shot

Maybe the magnitude of the triumph would have been overshadowed by the mood of St Vincent and the Grenadines at that time, when the merry monarch was in charge.{{more}}

The team continued the trend of a series of triumphs that St Vincent and the Grenadines sports teams and individuals have been savouring over the past three months or so.

Not that one should go over the moon, but the young cricketers needed something to boost them and gave them a sense of achievement and supremacy over their sub-regional peers.

Also, in the last decade, St Vincent and the Grenadines at the age group Windwards tournaments has not been the once dominant force.

But the win in Dominica must not be viewed as the right formula in mapping out the pathway towards creating champion outfits.

Whilst there is no perfected way in preparing teams, the lead up to the Vincentians’ sojourn cannot be listed as acceptable, but there was enough talent available to carry them through over the host, St Lucia and Grenada.

Congratulations are, however, in order for the players, the coach – Olanzo Jackson, manager Parnell Browne and Deighton Butler, who did not travel to Dominica, but whose preparatory input was critical in the team’s success.

One victory in 2015 does not give the right to conclude that St Vincent and the Grenadines cricket has arrived at the Under-19 level, as a 50-over tournament is not always the best gauge at that age group.

A better yardstick would ideally be a two-day format, where the true mettle of the players would be better tested. But a win is a win.

However, in hailing the success of the Under-19 team, the executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association has not earned a pat on their shoulders, for not a single member was present when the team returned to the country last Saturday night.

No matter what explanation is proffered, it was simply a slip-up on the part of the guardians of the sport here.

A celebratory event, which is being planned for a later date to hail the achievements of the team, cannot replace the almost immediate appreciation of one’s successes.

President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association, in explaining his executive’s notable absence, reported : “It was a conscious decision on my part not to make such a huge ask of my executive. I thought it would have been unreasonable to have my hardworking members endure the torment of LIAT’s normal lateness, particularly on Carnival Saturday night.”

Take it for what it is worth.

Luckily, some parents showed up to see their sons home and the presence of three members of the print media would have lifted the youngsters’ spirits and lap up that feel of welcome.

Commendations must go to head of the youth selection panel Arnold Gilkes, who saw it fit in his capacity to get to the airport and greet the youngsters.

Although it appeared that there were some pre-arrangements, where were the members of the SVGCA executive last Saturday night to give moral and logistical support to team manager Parnel Browne and coach Olanzo Jackson?

The two had to tax themselves mentally to have the team members transported to their various homes close to midnight.

Even before Saturday night, another unpardonable faux pas was recorded, as except for a release on the team’s triumph and the verbal trappings, little or no official information came from the SVGCA’s secretariat on the six matches which the team contested.

Thank God for modern technology and the tenacity and initiative of members of the media here, otherwise nothing would have been known of the fortunes of the team while they carried the torch of St Vincent and the Grenadines in Dominica.

Where was the public relations arm of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association in all this during the tournament?

Neither of the mark-downs for the men and woman of the SVGCA, however, should drown the excitement of the 13 players and backroom staff, which added another moment of rejoicing for St Vincent and the Grenadines in sports.