When the boat comes in


There was no cricket scheduled in St. Lucia yesterday, so Eddie and I decided to have a little look at the capital of the island - Castries.

With a population of just over 4,000 and a bustling little market, we thought we'd spend a few hours soaking up the atmosphere.

It only took 20 minutes and I was relieved that the journey didn't involve any excursions into the mountains like last time. I am still recovering from my 'Hoppings' experience on Friday.

As we approached the town, I spotted an absolutely enormous cruise ship.
"Wow - Eddie, look at that massive ship!" I exclaimed, pointing to the huge French cruise liner in the harbour.

If anyone is familiar with the card game 'Top Trumps,' you will know that the object of the game is to 'trump' your opponent with something bigger, faster, heavier, more expensive...

"That's nowt," said Eddie, smugly, "Look at THAT one."

I looked to where he was pointing, and my mouth dropped in awe. A gigantic, white ship dominated the harbour. It looked stunning against the humble backdrop - slick, polished and arrogant, like a film star in a tux popping into the corner shop.

A ship this size comes with passengers. Lots of them. 2,900 to be precise, and they were swarming around the town - bewildered, lost and struggling with the heat. Lots were camped out in the cafes, quenching thirsts with beer and wine, and the duty free shop looked like it was getting a good hammering too. It seemed as though it was 'business as usual' for the locals despite the invasion.

We sipped our lemon and spearmint juice and watched. It was fascinating.

Later, back at the ranch, we settled ourselves in the bar to watch the Ireland women play Pakistan. Ireland are a team of talented, gutsy non-professionals - they have even played Northumberland women in the recent past, and I was looking forward to watching them.

Pakistan batted first and made 139-6. In reply, Ireland showed promise at the start, but could only manage 101-9
They were utterly devastated, as this was the game they had targeted as one they COULD win.

Captain, Laura Delaney, broke down momentarily in her press conference afterwards, wearing passion on her sleeve and citing their non-professional status as something that potentially could have made the difference.

She said: "It's so incredibly frustrating...if we were professional, I wonder what the score would have been..."

It's an interesting point that she makes, and certainly not an 'excuse' for the defeat. Women's cricket around the world is moving and developing fast for those that can keep up. The gulf will only widen between the professional teams and those not fortunate to have cricket as their job - with all the added benefits that this brings. Ireland and other countries like them, SHOULD be competing in these tournaments, but they need the opportunity to compete on a slightly more level playing field. Having seen the passion and watched their potential I truly hope that one day Laura Delaney's boat will come in.

Comments

  1. Ray14 November 2018 at 14:02

    I loved your day out. A floating city with 2900 citizens and what an intrusion in the little port town. Your comparison to a famous film star in tux going into the corner shop was perfect. Let’s hope the visitors spent plenty money during their short intrusion. Well done little Ireland and I agree your exciting future for women’s cricket. I nope you will be there on Sunday 18th Nov for the England game, Dad

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