Windward Islands cricket team

Windward Islands cricket flag

The Windward Islands cricket team is a cricket team representing the member countries of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control. The team plays in the West Indies regional tournament.

It includes the islands that were known as the British Windward Islands except for Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, who have their own teams. Thus, it includes Dominica (technically a part of the Leeward Islands, but as it was part of the Windward Islands colony from 1940 until independence and its cricket federation remains a part of the Windward Islands), Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The team plays in inter-regional cricket competitions in the Caribbean, such as the Carib Beer Cup and the KFC Cup, and the best players may be selected for the West Indies cricket team, which plays international cricket. Although Grenada took part at the 1998 Commonwealth Games cricket competition.

[edit] Team history

The Windward Islands team is the least successful of the six West Indian first class teams, having failed to win a first-class title and with two one-day titles in 32 attempts. They played their first first-class match in 1959-60 against the touring England side, losing by ten wickets, and until 1980-81 they mainly played as a part of the Combined Islands. However, from 1981-82 onwards they have played as a separate entity.

On a few occasions, all in the one-day Red Stripe Bowl competition, two teams have represented the Windwards. In the 2001-02, Northern Windward Islands and Southern Windward Islands competed, while in 2002-03, a team from "Saint Vincent and Grenadines" and A Rest of the Windward Islands side took part.

[edit] Notable players

The list of prominent cricketers who have represented the Windward Islands include :

• Cameron Cuffy
• Winston Davis
• Rawl Lewis
• Junior Murray
• Devon Smith.

[edit] 2005-06 squad

[edit] Roll of honour

• Geddes Grant Shield (one day competition) 1988-89

• Red Stripe Bowl 2000-01

[edit] Grounds

The Windward Islands team has at the following venues

• Amos Vale Ground in Kingstown, Saint Vincent, 29 out of 103)

• Queen's Park in Grenada (25 matches),

• Mindoo Philip Park in Saint Lucia (21 matches),

• Windsor Park in Dominica (16 matches).

• Beausejour Stadium in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia.

The Mindoo Philip Park has not seen any first-class cricket since 2001, and has been replaced by the Beausejour Stadium in Gros Islet, which has hosted four matches in three years.

[edit] References

• Cricinfo
• CricketArchive
• 2005-06 KFC Cup Squad from Cricinfo
• Windward Islands Cricket - Info from West Indies Cricket Board