Schools cricket moving forward cautiously

PRESIDENT of the PowerGen Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL) Surujdath Mahabir said the league will continue to be guided by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education concerning the resumption of tournaments after a student in Tobago tested positive for covid19.

On February 20, the Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe said that recreational sporting activities will be allowed to resume from February 22. However, sporting leagues and other tournaments were not allowed to resume. The announcement would have given cricket coaches and players the option to train as the latest announcement allows for groups of 22 or less to participate.

Mahabir said, “What we had advised them to do is that they can start back (training) informally with their coaches or their parents, but from the Secondary Schools perspective we are still under the Ministry of Education so we definitely not going to have anything this term...we not sure if next term anything could happen as yet. We have to wait on the Ministry of Education.”

Mahabir said the SSCL must be even more cautious moving forward after it was stated on Monday that a student of Mason Hall Secondary in Tobago tested positive. “We are not rushing into anything until we are certain that it is totally safe for the students to have cricket.”

Under normal circumstances the 50-over competitions in the premiership and championship divisions would have been wrapping up and the T20 Intercol would have started in the coming weeks.

The SSCL president said the sponsors are in agreement that the league must not resume at this point in time.

Mahabir encourages the students to continue doing personal work. “The students could start their own personal training, do informal (training) and get fit and mentally get back. It will take them awhile to get back in tune.”

Hillview College cricket coach Richard Kelly, who has held online classes with his players during the pandemic, is hesitant to resume training now. “It is extremely difficult on my part to start up anything like school training because the Ministry (of Education) specifically said no school activity. If children want they could go do what they want outside, but personally I have to safeguard myself and the school because if anybody should get the virus then it is bad name spreading right around.”

Kelly was also aware that a student in Tobago tested positive and is concerned that may occur at his school if training resumes now. “It is very, very ticklish.”