On Sunday, June 8th, at the Caribe Lumbar Ball Park in St. Maarten, Antigua and Barbuda faced off against Nevis in the grand finals of the 2025 Leeward Islands Masters cricket tournament. Both teams had convincingly won their two preliminary games, making the finals highly anticipated.
Antigua’s captain, Ian Gore, won the toss and elected to bat on a well-prepared, hard pitch. The openers, Kerry Mentore and Tris Phillip, attacked the Nevis bowling from the very first ball. When they were eventually separated with just two overs remaining in the twenty-over match, the score had already surpassed the 200-run mark—a new record for an opening stand in the tournament. Phillip scored 86 runs before being dismissed, while Mentore powered on to finish at 137 not out.
Nevis, chasing an improbable target of 226 runs, started strong, with the elegant Stuart Williams hitting the ball all around the ground. His opening partner, Collin Walwyn, began a bit slowly but later found his rhythm with some impressive shots. Junior Mills also contributed with a few big sixes, but once he was caught out on the boundary, Nevis lost their momentum. They eventually finished their innings at 154 runs for 4 wickets.
The Antiguans celebrated their victory in style.
**Summarized Scores:**
– Antigua: 226 for 1 in 20 overs
– Kerry Mentore: 137 Not Out
– Tris Phillip: 86
– Nevis Bowling:
– Patrick Newton: 1 for 27
– Nevis: 154 for 4 off 20 overs
– Stuart Williams: 37
– Collin Walwyn: 30
– Junior Mills: 27
– Antigua Bowling:
– James Cornell: 1 for 27
– Stephen Matthews: 1 for 23
Antigua won by 72 runs and secured the 2025 LIMCA T20 Cricket Masters tournament title.
**Most Runs for the Tournament:**
– Kerry Mentore: 190
– Stuart Williams: 133
– Tris Phillip: 125
**Most Wickets:**
– Chaka Hodge: 4
– Calvin Williams: 4
– Patrick Newton: 4
– Howard Gerrard: 4
**Best Average:** Chaka Hodge
**Best Wicket Keeper:** Bonnell Andrew of St. Thomas
**Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the Tournament:** Kerry Mentore of Antigua and Barbuda.