Pres Sando sees growth in cricket, football

PRESENTATION COLLEGE San Fernando cricket team have come a long way from playing second fiddle in the school’s sporting interests to becoming a mainstay on the grounds of one of South Trinidad’s most prestigious schools.

Pres cricket team, during the 2019 season, won seven titles including the National Championship, for the first time in 26 years, and they have secured a spot in the Secondary Schools Cricket League Premiership Division.

We sat down with the Presentation College coach Rydell Ramsaran, team and TT Under-16 captain Tariq Mohammed, team manager Carlyle Jalim and the school’s vice-principal, Kenny Mootoosingh, to talk about the team’s 2019 performances and their plans for the 2020 Premiership season.

Here is Part Two of the interview...

NEWSDAY: It’s interesting that you brought up how football is at the front-foot of Pres sports in terms of the appeal of the sport. The question I was about to get to is this: In football we came a bit short, in terms of where we finished. (Pres) finished second in the league. When cricket came around, I noticed how the team played via social media. So would you say that Pres cricket benefitted from the spotlight that it has received over the football? And what does that mean for Pres cricket in that regard?

TM: Well I think the sport will continue to grow in the school. The footballers, even though they didn’t do as well as they wanted to, they supported us and I think we also saw them supporting us and embracing us on social media. So I think, once we work together, using social media the right way, cricket will continue to grow in Pres and it will help the players themselves also to do well.

RR: The loss in football too, we used that as motivation also, because I know at the (Naparima) game, the Naps/Presentation football game and, some of the slogans and things that were chanted, I took it personally too to take revenge when the cricket time came around. And one of my big plans is to make Presentation College, San Fernando the school of choice for young cricketers. For brilliant young cricketers.

NEWSDAY: So I’m going to switch the focus here on Tariq. Hopefully he could handle it, right? So all athletes have a background story, how they grew to love the sport. So tell me what was your ‘origin story’. How did cricket become a part of you? I don’t know if its your preferred sport but how did you grow to love cricket? How did you get into cricket?

TM: From the age of two, I had a bat in my hand, gloves on my hand, pads on my legs. So I think that had a lot to do with my father. He encouraged me to play the sport. Growing older, you know you just enjoy your cricket in the younger years but then you realise, ‘I want to do this as a professional probably.’ You have to take it seriously. I think cricket helps to mold personalities as well. It helped me a lot in life; facing challenges. So, all those things probably played a part in me loving the sport and wanting to play it.”

RR: “Let me talk for the dad because I was privileged to be at Tariq’s home, and all the time I was to say ‘Tariq was a talented player,’ but no longer will I say he’s a talented player. Because Tariq’s father moulded that process from the very early age of two years. Tariq’s father had a big plan for him, and he would work with him personally. Do throw-downs, do the drills, get him to exercise, meet the right people at the right time. I saw a picture with him with (Daren) Ganga at two years, hugging him. So it was a well-thought out plan that you see manifesting now. It wasn’t a coincidence, and it wasn’t just talent.”

NEWSDAY: Speaking of Daren Ganga, was he one of the players you looked up to? Who did you model your cricket game after?

TM: Quite a few players. At a younger age it was Daren Ganga, probably as well Jacques Khallis. As I got a little older, it change, probably not just one. Nowaday is Virat Kohli, Joe Root. Alastair Cook before he retired, just because of his mental strength. His technique wasn’t as good but in the mental aspect he was very strong. Root in terms of technique. Kohli in terms of aggression. Bowling-wise probably Nathan Lyon because I bowl off-break as well. In the field, Jonty Rhodes, probably nowadays Steve Smith.

NEWSDAY: Mr Mootoosingh told me a very interesting story. He summarised how you chose Presentation College over Naps. How did you become to wear the white and olive green uniform?

TM: Well when I was writing SEA, Naps was my first choice, Pres was my second choice. I end up passing for Pres, played cricket for one year. It wasn’t really as serious. I used to have to get box lunch for lunch. We didn’t have a coach. This guy, ‘Electro’ we called him ‘Electro’ he’s a janitor here. He used to go to games with us. Then my father said, ‘This isn’t going to work out. Cricket not serious here. Let us go to Naps.’ I really didn’t want to go because after spending a year in Pres, you really learn a lot. You realise, things happen for a reason. I said, ‘I’m not going to another school and give my talent to that school when I pass for this here. Why not build it in Pres?’ So it was a lot of hard work; it didn’t happen right away. At times I felt like giving up like this thing wasn’t going to happen but Form 2, Form 3, Form 4, 3 years of hard work and finally in Form 5. You know you mature over the years, you realise what you want and what you have to do to achieve it, and it worked out.

NEWSDAY: How was your experience lead the Championship team this season, and has the experienced changed from being the captain of the Under-14 team, then Under-16 and then the Championship team?

TM: Yeah slightly, because you’re among new players you learn a lot about them. You learn how to interact with them and how to get the best out of them, you know? Because you’re not just in Pres for two years, you’re here for five years, so you learn a lot about individuals. When I was younger, in the Under-14 the team wasn’t the same team, you had fellas now you not seeing them around cricket. To the Under-16 level, it had a few younger players on the team. I grew up around them and you learn a lot about them. The last year, this year, we had some players in Form Six. The maturity of the players, you saw it in them. We understood each other. Everyone played a role in trying to get the best out of each other, the strengths and weaknesses. We knew that it was a compliment, so like if I was weak at something, I knew that somebody would make up for my weaknesses. And I think that is what made us come up in these tournaments and help us win all those titles. Because is not only the senior men did it, the younger players who play Under-16, they learn from that and it went down the ranks.