BirdÊs eye

WINDWARD ISLANDSbeat Leeward by one wicket at Sion Hill Playing Field last Monday afternoon. That’s one match of what is dubbed Rising Stars West Indies Cricket.

These players will emerge on the senior West Indies party, hopefully in the near future. By that time, they will have sharpened their skills and strengthened their knowledge of the subtleties of life.

That match was a low scoring affair, played in between showers of rain forcing frequent interventions by the ground staff.

It boiled down to Windwards having to score 145 for victory.

Leeward took first strike and battled to 141, off 56.2 overs. That gave them a 33 run platform, for the Windwards were dismissed for 108 in a slow grind lasting 44.4 overs.

Windwards however rebounded with a better display with the ball in the second innings with spinners Kirt Murray and Tarrique Edward proving thorny for the Leewards batters. Murray followed his 5 for 31 in the first innings with 5 for 35 in the second innings while Edwards 5 for 42 improved on his first innings haul of 4 for 10. Leewards made 111 in 46.2 overs.

Windwardss saw their opportunity of gathering full points. But every step along the way, there appeared to be some obstacle.

Leewards are the defending champions, secured in an attritional battle with their Barbadian counterparts at the Arnos Vale Playing last year.

Noel Leo 45, and Stephan Pascal; 35, laid the platform, but a combination of nerves and anxiety saw the Windwards within range of losing. Their last pair completed the victory to the delight of their mates and staff.

The bid for the championship continues and it will take some other rounds of matches top determine this year’s champion.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is benefitting from staging this competition in more ways than one. It is a pity that more effort is taken to ensure some sense of atmosphere at the games. It may be difficult to mobilise teachers to be responsible for children during the vacation.

Some Physical Education teachers might have been inclined to expose their students to these kinds of events even as a means of practical application.

That however is an issue of industrial nature. Teachers’ Union representatives will be concerned about ensuring rewards for teachers before they set foot outside the classroom. As a result, students miss the chance of seeing real life sports in action.

Just the same, persons might not be keen on witnessing any kind of cricket given the scope and direction of the senior squad. Youngsters don’t have the urge, desire or encouragement to play cricket.

There are so many alternatives. And there is no sense of purpose attached to the game as perhaps the older generation of Caribbean people, fed the pure diet of unbridled colonials, saw beating the masters of their game, as a an advancement for reparations for slavery and genocide meted out to the forbears of this generation.

Six teams are taking part in the Rising Stars competition. We will await the completion of the exercise and see what sparks there are for the future.