Redemption: Trinidad and Tobago U17 cricket captain says 50-over title heals 2024 wounds

“Redemption” was the word TT captain Brendan Boodoo used to describe his squad capturing this year’s Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Men’s Under-17 50-Overs Championship on September 2.

Last year, Boodoo was part of the TT Under-17 outfit finishing second in the regional tournament, losing out on the coveted title by an agonising 0.2 points. This year, he guided his charges to the tournament’s top prize.

“The title means a lot to us this year, since we lost the Under-17 crown last year by less than a point. Coming back strong into this competition with a new team is a really good experience and really good feeling to win out the 50-overs.

“From captaining the U-15s in 2023 to leading the U-17s now, I would say it was redemption. I’m really happy that our team could have coped with the pressure we were under and come back stronger this year,” said the all-rounder.

In 2025, the majority of players from this year’s team will transition to TT’s Under-19 team as they continue their course towards senior-team selection, and by extension, West Indies.

Boodoo said the Under-17 tourney serves as an ideal stepping stone for the young bunch of regional cricketers.

“The overall performance was good, but what made the team stand out is how fast we adapted to situations and reflected on the matches we played. We became a better unit, gelled together, supported one another and learnt from past experiences. Using our experience from previous matches helped us as the tournament progressed.

“It’s really important coming out of the younger age groups and developing into the Under-19 bracket. Being able to win out is a really good feeling because it has given everyone a boost in the camp. We’re confident going up into the next age group.”

After five rounds of 50-Over play, TT finished unbeaten with three wins and two no results. They eventually copped the 2024 title three points ahead of eventual runners-up Barbados. In the two-day, Barbados emerged victorious while Windward Islands settled for second.

At the September 2 award ceremony for the two-day and 50-Over competitions, the victorious team and individual standouts were presented with their respective trophies.

For his stellar all-round display, Bajan Zachary Carter copped the MVP awards for both tournaments. He was adjudged player of the round twice in the two-day and in the 50-Over. Carter also tied with Boodoo for the most catches in the 50-Overs and also claimed the most runs title in this format.

Honour roll:

Player of the Match awards – Two-day format

1st round: Leewards vs Windwards – Cody Fontenelle; Barbados vs Jamaica – Joshua Branch; TT vs Guyana – Romario Ramdehol

2nd round: Windwards vs Jamaica – Cody Fontenelle; Keewards vs Guyana – Golcharran Chulai; TT vs Barbados – Zachary Carter

3rd round: Leewards vs Jamaica – Vitel Lawes; Guyana vs Barbados – Zachary Carter; TT vs Windwards – Edmund Morancie

Outstanding performers

Most catches: Joel Durand (Windwards)

Most wickets: Cody Fontenelle (Windwards), Romario Ramdehol (Guyana)

Most runs: Joshua Dorne (Barbados)

Wicketkeeper with most dismissals: Gadson Bowen (Barbados)

MVP: Zachary Carter (Barbados)

Day-two runners-up: Windward Islands

Day-two winners: Barbados

Player of the Match awards – 50-Over

1st round: TT vs Windwards – Edmund Morancie

2nd round: All matches incomplete owing to rain

3rd round: Leewards vs Barbados – Zachary Carter; TT vs Jamaica – Aadian Racha; Windwards vs Guyana – Jonathan van Lange

4th Round: Jamaica vs Barbados – Zachary Carter; Windwards vs Leewards – Isra-el Morton; TT vs Guyana – Brendan Boodoo

5th round: All matches incomplete owing to rain

Outstanding performers

Most catches: Zachary Carter (Barbados), Brendan Boodoo (TT)

Most wickets: Jonathan van Lange (Guyana), Zachary Carter (Barbados)

Most runs: Zachary Carter (Barbados)

Wicketkeeper with most dismissals – Christiano Ramnanan (TT), Rampersad Ramnauth (Guyana)

MVP: Zachary Carter (Barbados)

50-Over runners-up: Barbados

50-Over winners: TT