All to play for as boys, girls gear up for school's T20 finals

THE stage is set for this year’s highly-anticipated PowerGen Secondary Schools’ Cricket League (SSCL) boys’ T20 Intercol and Girls’ Open finals, which bowl off at the National Cricket Centre in Couva on Friday.

The girls’ final gets underway from 2pm and will see defending T20 champions Rio Claro West up against two-time title-holders (2018, 2019) Barrackpore East, from 2pm.

At 6pm, in a repeat of last year’s final, maiden champions Presentation College San Fernando once again lock horns against 2015 champions Fatima College.

The Pres Lions were unable to defend their maiden SSCL premiership title this year, but remain intent on adding a second Intercol title to the school’s trophy case, following in the footsteps of their football team’s capture of the 2023 Coca-Cola Intercol crown.

At Wednesday’s T20 finals press conference at Cara Hotels in Pointe-a-Pierre, each captain was allowed to share their thoughts ahead of the doubleheader.

Pres captain and national U19 player Jacen Agard, now in his final year, wants to go out on a high and help lead his troops to victory.

“It’s important for us because there’s a lot of classroom talk with some of my friends because they won the Coca Cola Intercol (football) title last year. From a team aspect, it will be very important for us because it’s never easy defending a title. We have to show a lot of grind and grit.”

Last year, Pres played undefeated and lifted three SSCL crowns for the first time in school and league history. When asked if the 2023 victories may have been a one-off, Agard disagreed and expressed sheer intent on successfully defending the crown.

“We all want to be a part of history. We’ll just take it one game at a time because we don’t look to the past too much. This is how we’re going to make history. If you look too far down the road, you’re not going to take all the right steps to get where you want to be,” he added.

Fatima skipper Joshua Davis, who, alongside five other players would be graduating this year, also wants to go out on a high and leave his alma mater with one more trophy to their cabinet.

“This is most of our guys’ last year in school so we’re all working hard in training and would like to leave a trophy with the school. I only have one national title (U14) for Fatima and I’d like to get another with the senior team,” he said.

The girls’ final, both female skippers believe, remains an integral part of the development of the women’s game in TT.

Rio Claro West aka the Western Wolves captain Chelsea Ramlakhan said they were dubbed the “unknowns” at the 2023 edition since it was their debut year competing. They went on to win the coveted title. She praised their team and school staff, and her community, for helping nurture and support their chase for victory once more.

Ramlakhan expressed confidence ahead.

“Securing victory over Barrackpore is not just the goal. It’s part of the relentless pursuit of excellence. To our opponents, as we step on that field, we will be fuelled with emotion and hunger for success. We’re focused and prepared to overcome this challenge. We need to remind our opponents that although the sun rises in the east, it always sets in the west,” she said.

Barrackpore East captain Amrita Ramtahal said their return to the title match is not only about the win but about breaking barriers, challenging stereotypes and inspiring generations to come.

“We have defied all odds to reach this pinnacle of success. We battle fiercely on the pitch. We would like to express gratitude to PowerGen and SSCL. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to PowerGen for their investment in girls’ cricket. Your support symbolises your commitment to the empowerment of women in sport and the belief in our ability to achieve greatness,” Ramtahal said.

Also present to bring remarks were SSCL president Nigel Maraj and PowerGen head of legal advisory services Marsha Mohammed.