By Ed Martin, ICT tour manager
The best place to start the tale of my two weeks in St Lucia? Australia v Scotland. A terrific group of ICT Scottish tourists joined me as we took in this crucial match, which could have resulted in England’s elimination.
That would have been an interesting turn of events, as we had around 30 England fans due to arrive in the following days.
It was a closely fought contest, with Scotland finishing on 180 for 5 from their 20 overs. It took a steady innings from Travis Head (68 from 49) and some powerhitting from Marcus Stoinis (59 from 29) to get Australia over the line.
Great news for those airport-bound England fans, we were through! Although I did feel for my group of travelling Scotland fans. They had a great tournament and showed a lot of people what associate nations are capable of.
Powerful Pooran
The following day it was time for a small group of early arrivals to go and watch West Indies against Afghanistan.
This was a match that we were all looking forward to immensely, as it was the top two teams of their group.
We witnessed a truly dominant performance, with West Indies running out victors by 104 runs, thanks in the main to an explosive Nicholas Pooran knock of 98 from 53.
He was unlucky to be run out just shy of what would have been a much deserved hundred.
A visit from Steven Finn
Twenty-four hours later, and it was time for our ICT tourists to enjoy our St Lucia social event, with special guest Steven Finn. A lot of fun was had at Keebees Sports Bar & Grill, regaling our guests with stories from his 126 England appearances.
Steve also gave us a great insight into his opinion of the current England setup and his transition into working for BBC Test Match Special.
He was excellent and we very much look forward to working with him again in the future.
Wednesday’s big match was West Indies versus England: a happy outcome for those who had booked Super 8s travel packages in St Lucia.
The atmosphere inside the ground was electric, with a terrific local audience and plenty of travelling England support. England finally clicked, romping home to an eight-wicket win, with player of the match Phil Salt (87 from 47) putting on a great show.
ICT’s non-cricket trips
Thursday was a day away from cricket (ICT are experts at travel experiences away from the stadiums too, don’t you know!).
Nine of our tourists enjoyed a boat trip to Soufriere, to experience the sulphur springs and natural waterfalls (and let’s not forget the unlimited rum punch on the catamaran back too!).
Others within the group decided to stay and watch England play in their European Championship game against Denmark, followed by Yorkshire v Lancashire in the Vitality T20 Blast. We had quite a few of the Yorkshire faithful with us that day, and they were all much happier with that result than the football.
On Thursday evening, 11 of the group visited local restaurant Jacques Waterfront Dining, where we had a lovely evening with a table overlooking Rodney Bay Marina. The food and service was excellent, and Jacques is certainly an eatery I would highly recommend in the north of St Lucia.
Proteas in their prime
Friday morning was an earlier start than we had been used to. It was our first daytime match: England versus South Africa.
Following Wednesday’s win over the West Indies, anticipation was high for another successful England performance. The daytime pitch was much slower than that used for the Windies game two days prior.
South Africa batted first and, at the halfway mark, captain Quinton de Kock explained how the pitch slowed during their innings, which left a big challenge ahead for the England batters. Despite good performances from Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone, which got us closer to our target than I expected at one point, England fell short.
Later on Friday, most of our group headed to the Gros Islet Street Party, also known as Friday Night Jump Up. This event happens every Friday in St Lucia, and has been running for 50 years!
Tasty food, plenty of rum and a night of dancing under the stars. A great night was had by all.
Australia out
Saturday saw most of our party head to Barbados, to watch England against USA the following day. We did still have a group remaining in St Lucia though, ready to watch the India versus Australia game on Monday.
A win for India was possible to result in Australia’s elimination, and so it transpired. Rohit Sharma starred for India, scoring 92 from 41. A total of 205 always looked like it was going to be tough to beat, and Australia fell short.
The Indian fans within the ground created a vibrant atmosphere. They were singing and dancing throughout the game, and the roar Virat Kohli received when fielding in front of our stand was crazy, even after a five-ball duck!
All in all, a fantastic trip. This blog has barely scratched the surface of all that has gone on in St Lucia over the past two weeks. It has established this island as my favourite Caribbean destination.
We’re back here this winter for England’s white-ball series against West Indies – and you could be too! Just give me a call to discuss our tour options.
Until then, back to the English summer…
Book your Caribbean cricket holiday today
England are in the Caribbean for a white-ball series against West Indies in October and November, with matches on Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia.
Click here to see our tour options. Or contact us to discuss specific arrangements.
