Comets welcome 90th anniversary gift from players

Nickolai Madray

Alescon Comets Sports Club claimed their first TT Cricket Board (TTCB) National League Premiership Division I title, in over a decade, on Sunday, after gaining 15 points in their final group match against Merry Boys. The Pierre Road based club is currently celebrating their 90th anniversary as they welcomed the 2018 title on their home field.

Comets finished on 116 points after seven games which included exceptional performances from their players. Delivering in the majority of these matches was star bowler, Imran Khan, as he took 68 wickets on his way to setting a new national record for the most wickets taken in a season.

Speaking with Newsday after their crowning, president of the club, Dinanath Ramnarine said, “As a club, we are celebrating our 90th anniversary this year and we are grateful for the commitment of our players who went out there every week and produced these performances. He continued, “This is still a young team so, hopefully we can continue to do well in upcoming tournaments but credit to the squad and its management staff for the fantastic job. We are thankful for the contributions that all of these guys would have made and the entire Pierre Road community for their support.”

Also speaking with Newsday was the head coach, Debideen Manick as he said, “It is extremely gratifying that Alescon Comets have won the 2018 title. It means a lot to the community, the club and its management team, and to the cricketing community of the country as well because Comets have been participating in this league for a very, very long time and this title has eluded them for many years.”

Manick continued, “When you look at the mood of everyone in the club, including the players and management, you would see we are delighted with the successes of the club this year. The cohesiveness was really there in the team and I think that element was integral in this team building into a champion side.”

Making note of having their national players available for matches and training sessions, the coach stated, “One of the things I would like to single out is the importance of the practice sessions, which took place three days per week from 4-7 pm, as it was there where we gelled together and came with a real purpose this year.”

With every team having a key player, when asked about Khan’s season, Manick said he could never plan for such things but his role was to keep the team focused on playing well and being a unit with a special weapon. He said, “Imran was phenomenal this season, he led the way for the team and managed to set a personal and national record as well. His figures speak volumes compared to what we are accustomed to, and in my years in cricket, I have never seen anyone so consistent.”