Fast bowler Keon Gaston and middle-order batsman Johnnel Eugene made their List ‘A’ debut for the Windward Islands Volcanoes in the 2024 Cricket West Indies Regional Super 50 Cricket Tournament, being played in Trinidad and Tobago.
Gaston made his debut on Saturday, November 16, 2024, against the West Indies Academy at St. Augustine’s UWI Campus; a match which ended in a no result.
Meanwhile, Eugene made his List ‘A’ debut for the Windward Islands against Jamaica Scorpions at the Queen’s Park Oval on November 04, 2024, in the 2024 Cricket West Indies Regional Super 50 Cricket Tournament. Jamaica won that match by 19 runs via the DLS method.
President of the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association; Wayne Auguste is pleased with what he terms: “This is a first step for these two young players, whose development can only move in a positive, upward trajectory as long as they continue to work hard, be humble, and remain focused on their goals and aspirations. I have seen the improvement in their game, their work ethics, and their overall development.”
Both Gaston and Eugene are part of the Saint Lucia High Performance Centre and Auguste points out the debut of these young cricketers is: “further testimony of the work being done at the HPC, led by Head Coach; John Eugene along with his other coaches.”
While their debuts were not earth-shattering, Auguste added that he is looking forward to these players putting in the hard work “so others can be inspired, that they will aim for better and become permanent members of the Sub-Regional Team. We as administrators can and must do our best to provide as many resources as possible, ensure that the best coaches are given all opportunities to keep on retraining, but ultimately, it is the young cricketers who must put their shoulders to the wheel and push.”
“Both Keon Gaston and Johnnel Eugene have shown that they have the aptitude to put in the hard work, so I remain confident that these two will climb to the top of the proverbial cricket tree.”
