Dillon brings WI experience to EYM cricketers

ASSISTANT coach of the El Socorro Youth Movement (EYM) cricket team Shameer Mohammed, expects the expertise of former West Indies fast bowler Mervyn Dillon to be instrumental in the team competing in the top flight of local cricket this season.

EYM earned promotion to the 2019 premier one three-day tournament, after winning the premier two two-day tournament in 2018.

Dillon, who played 38 Test matches and 108 One Day Internationals for West Indies between 1997 and 2005, will serve as the head coach of EYM.

Shameer expects Dillon to be instrumental to EYM’s success this year. “His expertise is something that will go beyond any words that you could say. His experience playing at the West Indies level (will be an asset) and then he will know how to deal with the players. He could speak to the younger players and try to understand what they going through with their jobs and the cricket.”

Shameer is looking ahead to the season as the team is well prepared and excited about the challenge ahead. He said, “To be honest we have quite a young team and the guys are raring to go. We have been training since September and as the year started things started to go forward in terms of more senior guys coming out like our captain (Richard Ali) from last year.

He was busy doing other stuff so he now started to train. The team looking good and shaping up quite well. We have a young, balanced team.”

Shameer said TT Red Force fast bowler Marlon Richards, Keon Isaac (EYM’s leading wicket taker from last year), Alden Daniel (EYM’s leading run scorer from last year), Aaron Alfred, Selvin Jacobs and Bryan Boodram are some of the players expected to lead the team this year.

Shameer said the EYM bowlers may be key to how much the team achieves. “The batting is a bit inexperienced, but our bowling might be our strength this year. The eagerness from the youths looking to make an impression at the premiership level (will also help).”

President of EYM Shareda Mohammed said the team is seeking sponsorship and is hoping someone will sponsor in the community of San Juan. “Having won the tournament (last year) and playing the highest level of cricket in TT, we were hoping that the business community within San Juan would have come forward and sponsor us in a significant way because it is a costly thing,” Shareda said.

EYM are playing in the UWI T20 Tournament currently taking place, which is used as a warm up tournament for other local competitions.