Rio's Western Wolves relish championship promotion

For the first time in school history, the Western Wolves of Rio Claro West Secondary have earned promotion to the Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL) boys’ championship division, marking a monumental step forward led by long-serving coach Rajkumar Seemungal.

Seemungal, who has coached the school for the past 14 years, called the promotion a direct result of years of dedication to youth development, discipline and character building, combined with cricket.

Rio West broke into the second tier of the SSCL after winning the boys senior division crown.

“What we have really done here is youth development,” Seemungal said at the league’s annual awards presentation at Couva/Pt Lisas Chamber of Commerce on June 25.

“It’s about building their skills, their mindset, their focus… so when we build that, we’re also developing the students themselves.”

For Seemungal, the game has always been used to teach his student-athletes life lessons. His ultimate goal, he said, is to shape not just cricketers, but responsible citizens.

“The goal for our students is to become better citizens of Trinidad and Tobago today—and role models for others. This is my way of doing it,” he added.

The Wolves’ surge to the championship didn’t come by chance. It was built on hard work and consistency across the 2025 season.

“They focused hard, they worked hard, they trained hard—and they achieved success. But to continue achieving (in the 2026 season), they have to work even harder, stay focused and keep their mindset sharp.”

It was a bumper year for the Western Wolves as the girls’ team also copped the Girls Open and Hardball title, while the boys’ under-14 team finished as runners-up in their division. For such a stellar season, Rio West were awarded the SSCL’s prestigious Forbes Persaud School of the Year.

“It was a banner year, and proof of the school’s growing legacy in school sport.”

Looking ahead to their maiden campaign next year, Seemungal is realistic but optimistic. While the Wolves will lose a few senior players due to graduation, their youth pipeline is already in motion.

“Yes, we’ll be losing players—but we’ve already started working with the young ones,” Seemungal confirmed. “Training has begun with students in forms one, two and three, so we will always have players ready to step up.”

As for the team’s readiness to embrace the tougher competition in 2026, “They are always ready. We are always ready.”

Still, he knows the challenges of the higher division will demand more than just confidence.

“We must play and work together as a team. Play hard—and success will be ours,” he said.