A?DEBATE?is on over whether the Windward Islands were the best team in the 2013 Regional Super50 cricket competition.
No one can debate, however, if they are the champions.
Trinidad and Tobago won more matches and lost fewer than the Windwards. Jamaica won the same number and lost fewer.
The difference is that the Windwards, so often branded as the Cinderellas of regional cricket, won when it mattered most.
For the semi-finals and final, they came and they conquered, culminating with a crushing nine-wicket victory over Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC)?in the championship match at Kensington Oval on Sunday night.
Coming two days after the region was rocked by the tragic news that the coach of the Dominica football team and a player were killed when the vehicle in which they were travelling on the way to the airport fell into a large sink hole, it was a timely boost for the sub-region.
It was the Windwards’ first senior title in 13 years and this triumph sent captain Liam Sebastien and his men over the top.
“It means a lot. It’s an understatement. We haven’t won a championship in more than ten years.
“It was fitting that we won because we’ve been playing some good cricket – not only this year but over the past few years,” Sebastien told MIDWEEK SPORT.
“After that tragic situation in Dominica, I think this trophy will just lift everybody’s spirit, not only us as players but as Windward Islands people. It will give us a little more respect in West Indies cricket.”
Not many observers would have given Windwards much of a chance based on the pattern that developed in the preliminaries.
On the final day of the group stages, they were among five teams battling for two places to join unbeaten Trinidad and Tobago (6-0) and defending champions Jamaica (5-1) in the semi-finals.
They won their last preliminary match against Leeward Islands and, with other results going their way, they secured third place and a semi-final date with Jamaica.
They played arguably their best match in the semis against Jamaica – who had defeated them earlier in the tournament – with spirited chase of 243 under lights.
In the final, after restricting CCC to 174, they were held up by a lengthy stoppage for rain.?But they made light work of an amended target of 134 in 29 overs to win by nine wickets with 6.4 overs to spare in completing their third successive victory and fifth in eight matches.
“Our first goal is to get to the semi-finals. It doesn’t matter who wins how many games. When you get to the semi-finals, the real business starts,” Sebastien said.
“We got to the semi-finals comfortably by winning our last game and other teams losing. We knew from there we had the belief and we had the team to do it.
“Coming up against Jamaica, I don’t think anybody would have put us as winners. We believed in ourselves and the way that we played showed that we believed in ourselves.
“When we got to the business end, we did the business.”
It’s no secret the Windwards depend heavily on their West Indies representatives Devon Smith and Shane Shillingford.
Both delivered in a big way to emerge as the tournament’s highest run-scorer and wicket-taker, respectively. But there was a long supporting cast that included Andre Fletcher, the second highest run-scorer, left-arm pacers Kenroy Peters and Delorn Johnson and Sebastien himself with bat, ball and leadership.
“It has been about team work. We have the best bowler, the best batsman and we have a few more players in the top five in batting and bowling.
“It has been a total team effort, everybody wanting the same thing – which is that cup in our hand,” Sebastien said.
“The support has been tremendous. I just put it down to team work.
“It is always difficult for Windward Islands because we come from four islands and there isn’t much preparation time. All our work has to be done when we meet up.”
The only worry for the Windwards during the final was the possibility of having to restart the match the following day after rain threatened to force abandonment with a two-hour delay following the completion of the CCC innings.
Their worst fears were put to rest and the celebrations afterwards suggested a huge burden had been lifted off their shoulders.
The season doesn’t end here for the Windwards. They meet Barbados in the semi-finals of the four-day competition in Dominica from May 2 to 5 and thoughts of a double must be at the back on their minds.
“We have a few days to celebrate this moment. Next week, we have to put it behind us and get ready for the semi-finals,” Sebastien said.
“We’ve won five games out of six, which is excellent, but I’ve said the business starts in the semi-finals. You could win five games, come into the semi-finals and it means nothing.”
In 2000, when Windwards won both the 50-Over and Under-19 three-day titles in the space of a few weeks, it was felt it would be the platform for their cricket to take off.
Things didn’t go to plan, but the hope is to build on this success. A few things need to be done for further progress.
“The boards will have to invest a little more. It is always difficult because we are four small countries. The budgets around the islands are not as big as other territories,” Sebastien said.
“We may need assistance from a corporate partner or the WICB to help us.
“If somebody wants to invest in Grenada, it may not benefit the whole Windward Islands. This trophy will bring a lot more people to the game, seeing that they believe it can be done. We’ve showed it can be done.
“It doesn’t stop here. We have the semi-finals of the Four-day. If we can win that, it will do a lot more for Windwards cricket,” Sebastien added.
