Lemuel, Analia shine as Longdenville beat St Mary’s to maiden Five for Fun crown

“They did an excellent job!” Longdenville Government Primary School coach and standard five teacher Danny Maharaj told Wired868. “We didn’t lose a match for the entire season… I think some of these players are going on to the national level eventually!”

Yesterday afternoon, Longdenville closed off their 2025 cricket season with the inaugural Republic Bank Five For Fun title, after a 13-run win over St Mary’s Government in the national finals at the National Cycling Centre in Couva.

St Mary’s batted first and got 25 runs off the second over from captain Adam Julamsingh, who plundered four 6s and a 4 off Longdenville bowler Zion Joseph for the loss of one wicket.

(Five For Fun rules stipulate that each player must face an entire over; however, they are deducted three points each time a batter loses his or her wicket.)

But Longdenville’s bowlers kept a tight rein on the remaining St Mary’s batters, as they restricted the South East winners to 54 runs for a total, inclusive of bonus points, of 119.

Longdenville needed 57 runs to win the title then. And, to put that into context for the clean-hitting Caroni District champs, they had not scored fewer than 62 runs all day.

In the national semifinals against Rochard Douglas Presbyterian School, the Victoria champions, Analia Holder plundered 34 runs off her allotted six balls—five 6s and a 4—as Longdenville got 94 with the bat from five overs.

It was some statement of intent.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Lemuel Joseph, though. Slim with average height, nothing and everything stood out about Joseph at the same time.

With the ball, Joseph generated a zip in his delivery that belied his size and gave opposing batters little time to react. And with the bat, he struck the ball with notable poise and power—even as the sphere hurtled beyond the boundary, he was already gracefully celebrating the moment with his batting partner.

Behind the stumps, he was nimble and precise.

When Joseph was not probing away at an opposing batter or disciplining a bowler, he was congratulating a teammate on a good hit or urging them not to worry about a loose delivery, with a “hard luck” and a high five.

He had the unique quality of being the star attraction even without either bat or ball.

All around the National Cycling Centre, anyone who looked at Joseph for more than 60 seconds said two words: West Indies. They did not mean to be cruel.

There was just something different about the Longdenville lad.

Wired868 asked Joseph what made the difference between his school and St Mary’s Government in the Five for Fun national final.

Longdenville Government Primary standard five student Lemuel Joseph talks to Wired868 about the 2025 Republic Bank Five for Fun cricket final at the National Cycling Centre in Balmain, Couva on 9 July 2025.

“The critical thinking,” said Joseph, who is set to enter form one at Presentation College (Chaguanas). “When it came down to the ending, the decisions that we made set us on top.”

He was 11 years old and apparently going on 28.

There were other talents that caught the eye.

The bespectacled Josiah Miranda of Sangre Grande Hindu Primary School was adjudged the competition’s best fielder for his efforts in the quarterfinal round, although his team, the North-Eastern winners, fell 18 shy of Rochard Douglas’ total of 130.

The Rochard Douglas Presbyterian got 70 runs from their five hours, in addition to 60 bonus points.

The pocket-sized St Mary’s Government standard five student, Lyndon Solomon, was named the best bowler in the competition, and he certainly stood out in the semifinals.

A talented Bamboo Settlement Government Primary School were chasing 77 runs to advance to the final. By the start of the fourth over, Bamboo needed 40 runs from 12 balls.

Sonyam Khan hit Solomon’s first delivery for four. But Solomon struck back to claim his wicket off his next ball—batters are guaranteed six balls, but the team is deducted three runs every time a wicket falls.

There was only one more boundary off Solomon’s over, which cost nine runs, and Bamboo were left with a considerable mountain to climb. They needed 31 runs from Adriano Kassiram in the last over.

And St Mary’s speedster Adam Julamsingh is not the generous type.

Julamsingh conceded a solitary boundary and eight runs in total as St Mary’s booked their place against Longdenville in the final.

St Mary’s were good. But Longdenville were better.

“They have been practising since standard four and we have some very good talent,” said the St Mary’s coach. “When the Republic Bank Five for Fun tournament came out, we were well prepared.

“[…] I think some of these players are going on to play at the national level eventually.”

Maharaj singled out Zion Joseph (no relation to Lemuel Joseph), a tall, athletic boy who just passed for Queen’s Royal College.

“Zion scored a lot of runs, and he is a very good bowler,” said Maharaj. “I am thinking he can possibly make the National Under-13 team.”

Incidentally, Joseph (L) is already on the National Under-13 Team, where he serves as a batsman and wicketkeeper. By this stage, he barely needed to give a view on the starlet.

“Lemuel is a total cricketer,” said Maharaj. “He is a very good wicketkeeper, excellent bowler—spin or pace—and he is a very good batsman.

“He is an excellent captain, too, and really knows how to interact with his teammates. He is well coached. His dad (Micah Joseph) plays a good role, and he instils all of those qualities in him.”

St Mary’s took 62 bonus points into the final, compared to 60 from Longdenville. But they were under pressure from the first over after Kaiden Elvin managed just six runs off of Kymani Hamilton, with Longdenville claiming two wickets—one of them, a sharp run out by Lemuel.

Julamsingh caned Joseph (Z) with four 6s and a 4—although he did lose three runs, after he was caught behind by, yep, Lemuel.

And then Lemuel restricted Solomon to just five runs, as St Mary’s limped to 54 runs.

Longdenville needed 57 runs to win the inaugural competition.

There was no little anticipation when Analia Holder, the competition’s official Best Batter recipient, opened the batting and struck Kayla De Boulet’s first delivery for six runs. But the bowler rebounded well with three dot balls, as Longdenville started with 14 runs.

Kymani Hamilton got two 6s in his contribution of 16 off Elvin in over number two before St Mary’s bowler Shinelle Ramnarine restricted Amy Peters to nine runs.

But St Mary’s did not put enough runs on the board. Longdenville needed just 18 more runs to win from two overs.

Lemuel got them 17 runs, with a 6 and a 4 off the last two balls from Julamsingh.

The scoring system, with three runs deducted for a wicket, meant that although Zion Joseph got a single off Solomon’s first ball of the final over, they were obliged to keep going.

If Solomon could get a few wickets, he could drag St Mary’s back into the contest.

Instead, Joseph (Z) scored 13 and Longdenville were crowned champions and also rewarded with the Spirit of the Game prize.

“For the last two years, we didn’t do as well [in Primary Schools cricket],” said Joseph (L). “[…] So, we are feeling very proud. I think the difference was the confidence in the players.

“[…] I think we played very well. Even if we lost the finals today, I would have still been proud of my team.”

St Mary’s Government coach and standard five teacher, Andrew Vialva, was proud of his team’s run, as well.

“Obviously, we didn’t get the result that we would have wanted,” said Vialva, “but the number of games we would have won coming into the finals and the amount of training and the work we would have put in—seeing it coming to fruition.

“In spite of the result in the final, I am extremely proud.”

Solomon, who is bound for St Stephen’s College in Princes Town, said he thoroughly enjoyed the “exciting” Republic Bank-sponsored competition. But the better team won on the day.

“They were better power hitters,” said Solomon, of the Longdenville team. “At the beginning of the competition, we bowled and batted very well. But in the end, we didn’t.

“I did as much as I could.”

Solomon hopes to have many more finals to contest in his still-green career.

“I want to play for the West Indies,” he said, “and to be a very good player.”

Lemuel Joseph would hopefully play alongside him for the regional team one day.

“I want to reach as far as I can and play to the best of my ability,” said Joseph (L). “As I go on to secondary school, I want to do well at Presentation Chaguanas and bring home a victory for them.”

Remember the name.