Suenelli Pursues her dream of West Indies Selection

19-year-old Suenelli Dorius, a member of the Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort Food and Beverage Department, has her sights set on conquering the cricket world.  

‘Sue’, as she’s more fondly known, attended the Corinth Secondary School, where she was able to nurture her passion for cricket. This passion developed while playing in the yard with her cousins in Babonneau, where she mischievously recalls how they even broke a few windows. At the tender age of 16 she made her debut for the Saint Lucia National Senior Women’s team as a right-arm off spin bowler. Her performances caught the eyes of the Windward Islands selectors which helped usher her toward the Windward’s Under-19 team.

Unfortunately when COVID-19 shut down sports around the world the ICC Women’s Under-19 World Cup was cancelled, and Sue missed out on the opportunity to be selected and participate as part of the West Indies Under-19 team. She laments the fact that when the next U-19 World Cup takes place in 2023, she will be too old to participate, however she remains committed to someday gain selection for the West Indies Women’s Senior team.

Sue, who began as a trainee in the highly-touted Sandals Hospitality Training Programme (HTP) in 2022, was soon able to establish herself as a full time team member. She said the tremendous support she has received from the team at Sandals Halcyon, has inspired her to keep reaching for the stars. “I came here with no experience, however, the staff took me under their wing and helped me to develop and grow, which has been great for my confidence. I want to thank our General Manager Mr. Filius Laurent and all the staff at Sandals for their kindness.”

She added, “I don’t know if I was working somewhere else that the management team would understand that (my passion for cricket) and encourage me to achieve my goals. I want to thank all my colleagues and supervisors for their understanding and support. They have given me good advice, and because of the work Sandals does to sponsor and support cricket across the region, they are able to give me opportunities I may not have been able to get anywhere else.”

Veteran sports commentator and journalist Joseph ‘Reds’ Pereira, who works closely with Sandals in Saint Lucia on its developmental sports programmes, said he was quite impressed with Sue when he saw her during an interdepartmental tournament recently, and thinks she has a bright future ahead. He noted that Sandals has always led the way in terms of investing in sports as an avenue for the country’s young sportsmen and women, and has promised to personally help the young player try to achieve her goals.

Well-known former national and professional footballer and coach Earl Jean, has also commended the resort company for its continued investment in Saint Lucia’s young athletes, “Looking after our young people and their future is paramount, and the work that Sandals and the Sandals Foundation have been doing speaks volumes about who they are; a caring and committed corporate citizen of Saint Lucia. I have the experience of seeing it for myself since Sandals provided similar support for my younger brother David Flavius, on attaining a footballing scholarship to the US. It shows the commitment that the group has toward the young people of Saint Lucia. I want to say thank you to Sandals, and urge them to continue that vision they have of getting youths out and giving them opportunities.”