Local cricket faces big threats

NICKOLAI MADRAY

The Brian Lara Cricket Academy was the venue chosen to host the prestigious “Part Two”of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board’s (TTCB) 61st Annual Presentation and Awards Function as the distribution of Team Awards and Special Awards took place last evening at the facility’s Southern Auditorium. Last month, at the National Cycling Centre in Couva, “Part One” focused on the presentation ceremony for Individual Awards and the continuation of the 2017 awards function was welcomed at the academy for the first time.

Roshon Primus was named the National Senior Male Cricketer of the Year on the night while, Shannon Gabriel was crowned the International Player of the Year 2017.

The National Youth Cricketer award went to Naparima College’s, Cephas Cooper, as he also claimed TTCB’s Trophy for the Male Secondary School’s Cricketer of the Year. Shania Abdool of Barrackpore East Secondary copped the Female Secondary School’s Cricketer of the Year award while Montrose Government Primary School’s, Nick Ramlal, and Aby Bando of Bonne Aventure Presbyterian School secured the Male and Female Primary School’s Cricketer of the Year titles, respectively.

Speaking at the event, TTCB’s President, Azim Bassarath, noted the importance of having a strategic developmental plan and proper investments along with prudent accountability from officials and board members to safeguard the future of the sport.

He stated, “It gives us great joy and pride when our sportsmen/women achieve their fullest potential and provide so much pride and joy to their families, friends, communities and our nation. But one year on from our last awards function, cricket is precariously placed on an entirely different landscape. We are facing some of the biggest ever threats to the growth and development of the game, which, if not handled well can have wide and far-reaching consequences.”

He continued, “While the sturdy structure of local cricket remains tall and strong, able to withstand unjustified attacks on its integrity, there is a much more sinister assault for the soul of national cricket. This fight has reached the court of law and has had a very negative and debilitating effect on the sport, tarnishing the efforts of its hardworking administrators, and placing the future of our young cricketers in jeopardy.”

Bassarath reassured the audience members in attendance, “Our cricket administration is a work in progress and the board has been consistently reviewing its plans, programmes, and governance structure, as prevailing situations evolve. We are satisfied that we have the best people involved in the current process, and are highly optimistic that united, we can reach a desired solution on all sides.”

After the distribution of awards, Primus spoke with Newsday and shared his delight at obtaining the national crown, “ I am really honored to have been named the National Cricketer of the Year and this only adds to my motivation and momentum heading into next season. This year, I worked a lot on fitness and the skills aspect of my game and I think the results showed on the pitch.”

When asked if he would be changing his style of play moving forward in his career, Primus expressed, “I do not think it is necessary to change the style but it is important to keep developing and working on my strengths as well as the not so strong areas of my game.”

Newsday also caught up with the National Youth Cricketer of 2017, Cephas Cooper, who said, “I hope to build on this award since this came as a result of sacrifice and effort. I have been putting in a lot of work, and personally, what I will say led to my success, is staying calm at the crease and batting with an open mind.”

When Cooper was asked what are some future goals for the young cricketer, he responded, “I want to be one of those players who can bring home matches and victories for Trinidad and Tobago as well as the ‘Windies’ in the near future so I am currently training really hard for it.”

Honor Roll

Women Team Awards

Six-a-side - Preysal Achievers (Championship), Hibiscus Ladies (Premiership)

Knock-out - Preysal Phoenix

T-20 Championship - Preysal Achievers

T-20 Premiership - Technocrats

Championship League Team Award - UWI

Premiership League Team Award - Preysal Phoenix

Most Disciplined Player - Djenaba Joseph (Preysal Phoenix)

Most Promising Player - Djenaba Joseph (Preysal Phoenix)

Most Improved Player - Caneisha Isaac (Hibiscus Ladies)

Top-5 Players of the Year - Lee Ann Kirby, Karishma Ramharack (Moosai Ladies Team), Brittney Cooper, Merissa Aguilleira (Preysal Phoenix), Stacy Ann King (Technocrats Ladies).

Player of the Year - Brittney Cooper (Preysal Phoenix)

International Player of the Year - Merissa Aguilleira (Preysal Phoenix)

Championship Club Winners

T20 - Barrackpore United

Club of the Year - El Socorro Youth Movement

South Winners -

Reserve T20 - Rahamuts Evergreen Sports Club

Reserve - Yorkshire Sports Club

First Team - BFL

Sunday League - Barrackpore United

North/Central -

Reserve T20 - Calcutta Sports Club

Reserve - Munroe Road Cricket Club

First Team - TBA

Sunday League - Defence Force

East/North-East -

First Team - El Socorro Youth Movement

Sunday League - UWI

Premiership Club Winners

Reserve - Powergen Penal Spots Club

First Team - Queens Park Cricket Club I

Reserve T20 - Powergen Penal Spots Club

50 Overs - Queens Park Cricket Club I

TTCB T20 Festival 2017 - MerryBoys Sports Club

Cricketers of the Year - Mario Belcon (MerryBoys), Kavesh Kantasingh (Powergen Penal), Shazan Babwah (Central Sports), Tion Webster (QPCC), Johnathan Augustus (QPCC II)

Premiership 1 (50 Overs) Cricketer of the Year - Tion Webster

Premiership 2 (50 Overs) Cricketer of the Year - Marlon Thomas Welcome-Goodman (Orangefield SC)

T20 Festival Cricketer of the Year - Amir Jangoo (MerryBoys)

Cricketer of the Year - Shazan Babwah (Central Sports)

Special Awards-

Primary Schools Cricketer of the Year - (Male) Nick Ramlal, (Female) Aby Bando

Secondary Schools Cricketer of the Year - (Male) Cephas Cooper, (Female) Shania Abdool

Youth Spinner of the Year - Avinash Mahabirsingh

National Youth Cricketers of the Year - Kirstian Kallicharan, Cephas Cooper, Avinash Mahabirsingh, Crystian Thurton, Keagan Simmons

National Youth Cricketer of the Year - Cephas Cooper

Courts T20 Club Tournament - C&B United

Top-5 National Senior Cricketers of the Year - Kyle Hope, Imran Khan, Roshon Primus, Bryan Charles, Yannic Cariah

National Senior Cricketer of the Year - Roshon Primus

Premiership Club of the Year - Queens Park Cricket Club

International Player of the Year - Shannon Gabriel

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