Five of Antigua and Barbuda’s most promising young cricketers have returned home after a successful season in the United Kingdom, where they gained international exposure, honed their skills, and represented their country with pride.
Michael Greaves, Xaveek Toppin, Malique Walsh, Jared Jno-Baptiste, and Ozan Williams spent four months competing with various cricket clubs across England as part of the 2025 Antigua Exchange Programme.
They also joined the touring Antigua and Barbuda national team, which recorded victories in matches played in both the UK and the Channel Islands.
The initiative, launched in 2018 by Keith Williams of the Keyworth Cricket Club, Minister for Education, Sports and the Creative Industries Daryll Matthew, and High Commissioner Karen-Mae Hill, has already benefitted 35 young players, including two females.
It was designed to challenge Antigua and Barbuda’s top prospects in English conditions, giving them the chance to refine their technique while building cultural connections and personal resilience.
The players made their mark over the summer. Michael Greaves, representing Grantham Cricket Club, was outstanding as an all-rounder, scoring over 1,200 runs with three centuries and eight half-centuries, while also taking 29 wickets. Xaveek Toppin shone across several Harrow St Mary’s teams with a quickfire 73 in league play, a five-wicket haul, and a century in Sunday cricket.
Malique Walsh impressed at Ellerslie Cricket Club, where he notched up runs at a brisk strike rate and closed the season with three centuries, three half-centuries, and 20 wickets. Jared Jno-Baptiste contributed more than 700 runs and 30 wickets at Grantham, including his maiden century, while Ozan Williams earned valuable experience at Hucknall, scoring a personal best of 48 against Calverton and embracing the challenge of foreign conditions.
