Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

Jamaica's Under-19 Derval Green leads his team outside of the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday. The team was returning from the West Indies Under-19 Championships, which was held in St. Kitts. - photo by Anthony Foster

If the words of Jamaica's coaches and players at the TCL West Indies Under-19 cricket tournament are anything to go by, the national team was the best at the three-week long championships.

The championships ended with the one-day final in St. Kitts last Saturday, with Jamaica beating Guyana by eight wickets.

Despite losing the three-day title to the same opponents in the league competition, coach André Coley was made to feel proud after coaches and players told him Jamaica played the best cricket.

On their return to the island yesterday, Coley said: "After speaking with the coaches and some of the other players of other teams, everybody acknowledged that Jamaica was the best team, or played the best cricket," he explained while making reference to the five players - Nkruma Bonner, Jason Dawes, Horace Miller, Shacoya Thomas and André Creary who have been selected to the West Indies training squad for the Under-19 World Cup next year in Malaysia.

Responding to queries about why they did not win the three-day competition, Coley said they only have themselves to blame, especially after missing an outright win in their first match against Trinidad & Tobago.

"We just needed one wicket to win a game outright and we were not able to do it and at times, at crucial stages, were not able to finish off innings," said Coley, who was coaching the team for the first time.

Oh so close

Trinidad & Tobago needed 300 and were struggling at 217 for nine when the game ended. And against the Windwards, after surrendering a first-innings lead, Jamaica fought back but again ran out of time as another match ended with them needing only one wicket for victory.

"The fact that we never got full points out of those matches hurt us," added Coley on the team's arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.

"That killer instinct towards the end of the innings was lacking," added Coley, who believes that it would be unfair not to praise the guys for their effort.

"I think we have only ourselves to blame that we did not won both competitions. But saying that, I think the players did well under moderate circumstances."

High praises

Jamaica's coach Coley.

Coley also praised the efforts of David Bernard Sr., Phillip Service and Junior Bennett, all of whom he said prepared for the team while he was in India. Meanwhile, captain Derval Green agreed that the Trinidad & Tobago game hurt them big time, while saying his job was made easy with the experienced team.

"It is never an easy job but the fact that we have very experienced players, players who understand the game and work with dedication towards the game, made the job for me easier," he said.

Green, though, expressed mixed feelings on the final outcome.

"We should have won the three-day also, but I think we lost the three-day in the first match," he said while saying they have learned a lot.