The curtains came down on the 31st staging of the Kingston Wharves Under-15 Cricket Competition, with St. Mary copping the championship title for the first time in the competition’s history. They defeated St. Elizabeth in the finals which was held at Sabina Park on, Thursday, September 1.
Due to the weather conditions, the Duckworth Lewis calculation method was applied at the end of St. Elizabeth’s innings of 113 all-out in 31.5 overs. St. Elizabeth had won the toss and decided to bat; St. Mary only had to make 75 in 33 overs to win the match and be crowned champions.
Kingston Wharves’ Commercial and Logistics Manager Alfred McDonald who presented the trophy to the winning team said the company recognized the vital role the tournament has continued to play in developing young players, both for the local and international competition.
Citing the Under-15 National team that recently returned from the regional tournament, Mr. McDonald noted that both past and present players from the KWL U-15 Competition participated in that regional series held in Grenada.
“We want to let the players know how proud we are of their determination and resilience…We are talking about youngsters who have not played cricket for the last two years, and who endured great challenges during that time with online learning, COVID-19 Protocols, restrictions and other factors,” Mr. McDonald stated. He said that as a result of the players’ experience in the regional tournament, they would be better prepared for future regional competitions.
Mr. McDonald highlighted the exceptional performances in this year’s KWL Under-15 Cricket Competition, pointing to over four centuries and 12, five wicket hauls by 9 players.
He singled out the century by Abbigail Bryce, the first female to score a century in the Under-15 competition. “This is an excellent accomplishment and shows that the competition is also unlocking the potential of our young women,” Mr. McDonald said.
JCA President Wilford “Billy” Heaven declared that cricket was alive and well in Jamaica. “Let me say a hearty thanks to Kingston Wharves for this their 31st year in partnership with the Jamaica Cricket Association at the Under-15 level.”
He commended the clubs and the parishes for their participation, congratulating St. Mary on their hard-fought victory and St. Elizabeth for their well-played effort throughout the competition. “St. Mary has done remarkably well over the last couple of years in the development of cricket and players,” Mr. Heaven noted.
According to Jamaica Cricket Association’s Cricket Operations Manager Oneil Cruickshank the competition went much better than expected. “The performances that we saw coming out of this competition were very heartwarming. We thought it may have been less (due to COVID-19 recovery), but we saw a youngster scoring over 300 runs, one youngster taking over 23 wickets, one young lady making a century. I think when we put it all together it was a fantastic tournament,” Mr. Cruikshank noted.
Congratulations St. Mary! Kingston Wharves’ Commercial and Logistics Manager Alfred McDonald and Jamaica Cricket Association’s President Wilford “Billy” Heaven celebrate with a euphoric St. Mary team as they defeated St. Elizabeth to win the Kingston Wharves Under-15 Cricket Competition at Sabina Park last evening. Kingston Wharves has been the title sponsors for the tournament for 31 years.
Corporate Services and Client Experience Manager at Kingston Wharves Simone Murdock, presents St. Mary player Jevaugny Shim with his award. Shim was awarded MVP for the Finals and for his team, for making 3 five-wicket hauls throughout the Kingston Wharves Under-15 Cricket tournament.
Commercial and Logistics Manager at Kingston Wharves, Alfred McDonald chats with Abbigail Bryce. Abbigail who plays for Portland is the first female cricketer in the Kingston Wharves Under-15 Cricket Competition to make a century. Occasion was the awards ceremony at the Sabine Park recently.
