The national cricket team just fell short of expectations in their latest tournament.
The team finished fourth and failed to move up to Division Two of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World League. The Cayman team was expected to finish at least second.
National Team Coach and Technical Director of the Cayman Islands Cricket Association (CICA) Theo Cuffy said the tournament showed good results.
‘It was a good tournament. However I am not the happiest of coaches. We simply didn’t reach as far as we could have.
‘But I am appreciative of how much the boys have matured. They trained very hard and the results did not go the way we wanted.’
The Division Three World League Cricket tournament was held last month in Darwin, Australia. All eight countries in the division fielded a team.
The tournament was set-up into group stages and then playoffs. Cayman was part of group one which featured Uganda, Tanzania and Hong Kong. Group two saw Papa New Guinea, Fiji, Italy and Argentina.
According to Cuffy, the Cayman team started out strong but faded away towards the end.
‘In the first game, we did very well. Tanzania made 200 runs for six wickets while Cayman made 211 not out. We had centuries from both our openers.
‘In the second game, our bowling was fantastic. Hong Kong made only 67 all out and Cayman made 70 for two. We lost the next three matches but we made the semi-finals.’
Cayman went on to lose its semi-final game against Argentina, who Cayman had beaten four straight times.
The two finalists in the tournament, Uganda and Argentina, were promoted to Division Two. The two teams that fared the worst, Fiji and Italy, were demoted to Division Four.
Cuffy says that overall the team showed areas of strength along with solid individual performances.
‘In the tournament, I saw a few outstanding performances. All of our bowlers were excellent. Guys like Kenute Tolloch and Franklin Hinds bowled exceedingly well with very low economy rates.
‘With that, there was some good wicket-keeping by Ryan Ebanks. He proved to be very dependable though he needs to make contributions with the bat. Also Steve Gordon and Ainsley Hall were very good with the bat.’
Cayman will remain in Division Three and be eligible to compete in the next tournament in 2009. The venue of the next tournament is yet to be determined.
This year’s tournament was held in Darwin because none of the participating countries had turf grounds. Cuffy hopes that Cayman can step up to the plate and host future tournaments.
‘In the next couple of years, we hope to host the tournament. Government is working very hard on our facilities.
‘We do not necessarily need World-Cup level facilities. We just need adequate playing fields and the basic facility.’
In the meantime, there will be no shortage of Cayman cricket. Out of the ongoing primary school tournament, 14 players will be announced for the U15 squad. This team will compete against their Bahamian counterparts 4-6 August.
In addition, the U19 squad will be going to Trinidad and Tobago for a camp 9-20 of July. Afterwards they will tour Canada and play local sides 11-20 August.
Cuffy went on to say the Cayman squad should build on their Australian tour and pass their knowledge to others.
‘We have time to reassure our position and build on our unit. The guys need confidence, more exposure and competitions.
‘The guys need to share their experiences with those at home and help develop the sport here in Cayman. How strong we come out of the defeat will determine how strong of a people we are.’
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