Team Boscobel’s Alwyn Williams (left), the Man of the Match for the SDC/Wray & Nephew Cricket Finals on Sunday, August 21, 2022, receives the J$10,000 prize from Pavel Smith (right), Marketing Manager at J. Wray & Nephew Limited.
Contributed
For Alwyn Williams from St Mary, the match that sparked his love for cricket was one he played as a boy in the streets with his friends and elder brother, Adrian Silvera.
With big dreams of representing Jamaica and subsequently the West Indies, the Boscobel batsman and century maker added a new title to his resume; Wray & Nephew National Community T20 Cricket champion following the final of the competition held on Sunday, August 21.
Learning the gentleman’s game from his older brother, who was then the cricketer of the family, Alwyn worked hard to hone the skills that would eventually land him a place on the Jamaica Scorpions as an all-rounder.
“My dream is to play for the West Indies, to be one of the better all-rounders that play for Jamaica and the West Indies,” he said following his recent century-making performance at the Port Rhoades Sports Club in St Ann.
“In order to do that, I know I have to score runs and take wickets for Jamaica and do the same for the West Indies whenever I get the chance.”
Now 28, Alwyn made his first-class debut for Jamaica during the 2018/19 Regional Four-Day Competition in February 2019. He explained that his passion for cricket is more than words can say.
“There’s more than enjoyment. I play any cricket, wind ball cricket, tiered ball cricket, no matter the time, no matter the weather, no matter whatever, if it’s cricket I am ready”, he said.
Throughout his cricket career, Williams has won more than five titles with his Boscobel St Mary team but though cricket has taken him to countries across the Caribbean, winning the National Community T20 Cricket Finals was a special accomplishment.
“I rank this one in my top-five because of my mindset going into the game,” he said.
“I promised my manager, who means so much to me as a cricketer and who has pushed me for most of my life to get this far; I promised him that I would try my best to let him have a touch of the SDC/Wray & Nephew T20 Cricket trophy,” Williams shared.
Making good on his promise, Alwyn won himself the spot prize of $100,000 courtesy of title sponsor Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum, after scoring a century that led his team to the title.
At the end of the match, Williams walked away with an additional two $10,000 cash prizes as the Man of the Match and for scoring the most runs.
Wowed by the stunning performance. Pavel Smith, Marketing Manager, J. Wray & Nephew Ltd made the on-the-spot prize announcement.
“This is why Wray & Nephew continues to support community events,” he said.
“Our sponsorship enables a platform that has long given homegrown sportsmen and women an avenue to matriculate and to represent the country globally. We are happy to partner with the Social Development Commission to energize this tournament and add value for players and patrons.”
West Indies Academy squad named for Ireland tour
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has unveil the squad selected for the upcoming West Indies Academy tour of Ireland, slated from June 8th to June 29th, 2024.
This tour will comprise five matches, encompassing three 50-over matches and two four-day matches against Ireland’s Emerging Men’s Team. It signifies a reciprocal tour following Ireland's visit to the West Indies in November 2023.
“We continue to be methodical in our approach by exposing our academy players to various opposition and conditions across different formats. This is key to their development and fosters resilience and adaptability," said Miles Bascombe, CWI Director of Cricket.
Nyeem Young will continue as Captain, with Teddy Bishop as Vice-Captain for both formats.
"Nyeem’s leadership qualities have been evident throughout his tenure, notably steering the Academy team during the Super50 and West Indies Championship campaigns. His continued captaincy is a testament to his exceptional leadership skills and contribution to the team,” noted Graeme West, CWI’s High-Performance Manager in reference to Young.
Regarding Bishop's selection as Vice-Captain, West highlights, "Teddy Bishop's elevation to Vice Captaincy underscores his growing stature within the team. His adept handling of leadership responsibilities during Young's absence and his invaluable experience with the West Indies A Team and Senior Teams make him an ideal choice for the role."
The full squad is listed as follows:
Nyeem Young - Captain
Teddy Bishop - Vice Captain
Kadeem Alleyne
Jewel Andrew
Ackeem Auguste
Joshua Bishop
McKenny Clarke
Joshua James
Jordan Johnson
Leonardo Julian
Johann Layne
Ashmead Nedd
Kelvin Pitman
Ramon Simmonds
Carlon Tuckett
Team Management Unit:
Head Coach: Ramesh Subasinghe
Assistant Coach: Rohan Nurse
Physiotherapist: Neil Barry
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Shayne Cooper
Manager & Team Analyst: Kesh Ramphal
Nottingham Forest’s response to VAR controversy ‘too emotional’ – Stuart Broad
Former England bowler Stuart Broad has criticised Nottingham Forest’s response to the VAR controversy at Sunday’s Premier League match against Everton as “slightly too emotional”.
Broad, the second-highest England Test wicket-taker, was made a CBE for services to cricket during a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, and is a long-time fan of the football club.
Following Forest’s 2-0 loss at Everton, the club risked Football Association and Premier League sanction over their extraordinary response to three rejected penalty appeals.
In a statement on Sunday, the club said there had been “three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept”, adding: “We warned the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game, but they didn’t change him.”
On Tuesday, it was announced that the club would be given the opportunity to privately hear the VAR audio connected to the three penalty claims.
When asked about his thoughts on the VAR incident, Broad said: “Obviously, there’s been some natural frustration from everyone at Nottingham Forest: owners, players, manager fans, supporters, my friendship group are frustrated.
“I think it’s not just from the weekend, I think the frustration is built over the season, to be honest, from the decisions that the club have had.
“I think the statement straight after the game was probably quite emotional and maybe slightly misaligned with how the club would normally operate.”
Referring to the club’s statement on X, formerly Twitter, in which they claimed VAR Stuart Attwell “was a Luton fan”, Broad said: “Personally, I think that’s got nothing to do with the decision-making. I think it was just poor decision-making.
He continued: “I don’t mind the club showing emotion and passion because ultimately, that’s what sport’s about, but I think some of the words were slightly too emotional.”
Broad, 37, announced he was retiring from cricket during the fifth Ashes Test last summer and bowed out in spectacular fashion.
He hit a six off his final ball and took the final wicket as England won the match to level the series, although Australia retained the urn.
He came second in the public vote for the BBC’s 2023 Sports Personality of the Year in December and has been focusing on fatherhood and television punditry.
After the ceremony he said retirement had been “scary” but that he wanted to continue to “stay connected” to the sport.
When asked what was next, Broad said: “I want to stay in the game.
“It’s a great hobby of mine, it’s probably something I know the most about in the world, in my world, so I want to be able to share that feedback, whether that’s coaching, whether that’s punditry and commentary that I enjoy.
“But stay connected to the game, you know, I love it.”
Andrew Flintoff’s son makes century for Lancashire second XI
Andrew Flintoff’s 16-year-old son, Rocky, has scored his maiden century for Lancashire’s second XI.
The teenager conjured up memories of his father’s flamboyant hitting as he peeled off 116 in 165 balls against Warwickshire’s second string, hitting 11 fours and three sixes at Edgbaston.
On the same ground where ‘Freddie’ Flintoff struck 167 – his best Test score – against the West Indies in 2004, Rocky made light of his rookie status with a series of punishing blows into the leg side.
Batting for long periods with Saqib Mahmood and sharing a stand of 39 with his 18-year-old brother Corey, the youngster put in an eye-catching display against an attack featuring highly-rated seamer Che Simmons and former England Lions spinner Jake Lintott.
Rocky Flintoff only made his second XI debut earlier this month, a matter of days after turning 16, and hit a half-century against Durham last week.
While his sons take their first steps in the game, Flintoff senior is stepping up his return to the sport and is set to travel to the T20 World Cup in June as part of England’s backroom team.
Flintoff will also act as head coach of Northern Superchargers this summer, furthering his reintegration into the cricketing fold following the major car crash he suffered while filming Top Gear in late 2022.
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