Eighteen cricketers graduate Youth Academy

EIGHTEEN of TT’s most promising young cricketers received their certificates of graduation following 12 intensive weeks of training, at the 2019 bmobile/TT Cricket Board (TTCB) Youth Academy, which concluded at the National Cricket Centre, Couva, on Saturday.

In a press release issued by the TTCB, these young men have been preparing tirelessly to not only become better cricketers, but also to instil in themselves the rudiments of sound moral and ethical character, patriotism and discipline.

Under head coach Kumar Rampat, one of the most experienced tutors in the game, the specially selected squad was exposed to all the facets of team-building, personal and social etiquette, nutrition, teamwork, financial planning, social interaction and media relations.

In a nutshell, the youngsters, who by virtue of their natural talent, were hand-picked to participate in the academy and were also being groomed to take their rightful place in society and make a valuable contribution as a highly trained cricketer, and as a responsible citizen.

During his address to the graduates, TTCB president Azim Bassarath credited those involved and highlighted main sponsors bmobile for this developmental initiative.

He also paid tribute to coach Naushad Mohammed, who took up the responsibility as stand-in parent for the boys during their live-in weekends, at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre.

“The youngsters represent the next wave of potential senior national and regional cricketers of whom we are especially proud. Although we would have liked for the academy to run over the desired 12 weeks, we are nevertheless appreciative of the tremendous input of bmobile which will go a long way in assisting the young cricketers to realise their fullest potential in the coming years,” he stated.

Also attending the graduation ceremony was Cricket West Indies (CWI) youth coach, Floyd Reifer. The former regional cricketer has been doing a remarkable job with the region’s young cricketers through the CWI’s youth development programme.

Last year, Reifer took the Caribbean Colleges and Campuses team to victory in the regional Super50 tournament, and against the odds, did it again this year with the Emerging West Indies players. Bassarath added, “We here in Trinidad, had the opportunity to watch the Emerging WI team from beginning to end, led by our own Yannick Cariah, and including talented wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva, as they snatched the championship with a well-deserved victory against the Leeward Islands in the final.”