TKR and Can Bou Play unite for mentorship experience

ON the cusp of the new season, the Can Bou Play Foundation hosted a cricket mentorship experience with Caribbean Premier League defending champions, the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair, on Saturday.

Five lucky young winners – Tyler Ramroop, Niall Maingot, Josh Davis, Leon “Pancho” Lalchan and Nathan Ramsundar were selected to “Train Like A Champion” in the “Land of Champions” where they received the amazing opportunity to meet and interact with the TKR coaches and players.

“Trinbago Knight Riders is really happy to partner here,” said TKR manager Colin Borde. “We have some young players here. Some of these cricketers are their idols, but we wanted to ensure that firstly they feel comfortable (so) that we can relate to them and that we can explain that the world is open to them.

“Young players, boys and girls, (who) get opportunities (need to) know that they can do well if they put their minds to it, if they are guided well, if they believe and if they are brave. And we are here to help in any way and we want to congratulate those who put on Can Bou Play.”

Bravery was definitely not in short supply with the youngest of the winners, Ramroop. The ten-year-old aspiring professional cricketer quizzed TKR head coach Brendon McCullum on the recipe for success which left the former all-star batsman quite impressed.

“My favourite part was when I got to ask Brendon McCullum the questions and I asked what was the most important ingredient of success,” said Ramroop.

“He told me self belief and to always believe in yourself. Have confidence and balance your school work with your cricket.”

For Can Bou Play, the cricket mentorship experience was its first expansion outside of football-based mentorship and was supported by Hott 93.5 FM, OMNI Total Health and the US Embassy.

Deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy, David Richelsoph was equally impressed with the opportunity that the young winners were afforded and that USA International Ali Khan was doing so well within the TKR fold.

“This seems like a fantastic programme,” stated Richelsoph. “It’s such an important thing to bring kids together around something positive like sport and it can be such an important foundation for people to build their lives on.

“I’m so excited to be back in a cricketing country. It’s such an amazing sport and to see cricketers like Ali (Khan) doing so well in the sport and exposing more Americans to this great sport, I think is just terrific. And I love that he is right here in TT playing for the Knight Riders and I’m really excited to see him and the rest of the team throughout the season.”