SSCL boss: Cork ball precautions must be taken

PRESIDENT of the PowerGen Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL) Surujdath Mahabir, said the league will scrutinise its safety measures following an incident where a UWI student was injured by a cork ball during a match.

In 2012, Vidya Jaglal was struck in the head by a cork ball during a supervised game (not the SSCL) while sitting in a UWI Open Campus class which was being held part-time at the North Eastern College in Sangre Grande. A ruling recently ordered both UWI and the state to pay Jaglal $132,293 in compensation as well as legal costs.

Matches in the SSCL are often played at school grounds, while classes are in progress.

Mahabir said the SSCL has fortunately not had an incident where spectators or students in classrooms have been injured, but said the league will do everything to improve safety.

“In the past, the most destruction we have had is destruction to vehicles such as a windscreen shattering, we never had a student being injured, but it is something that we need to look at closely now given the ruling,” he said.

Mahabir said the infrastructure for classrooms in the line of fire should be modified to ensure they are protected from flying missiles.

“If they are looking at the game that is a different story, but if they in a position where they are in a classroom and not looking at the game, then you have to look at the safety of the classroom to make sure that balls can’t get in.”

Mahabir said there have been situations in the past where the SSCL has compensated people after their vehicles were damaged during matches. He said the affected drivers have been understanding as modern batsmen are more aggressive in six-hitting and a cricket ball can come flying from any direction.