Cricket facelift starts at QRC with 2026 season

QUEEN’S Royal College (QRC), once a powerhouse in north zone Secondary Schools Cricket have fallen behind in the past decade or two, but this season the school is on a mission to start rebuilding as they compete in the premier I division of the Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL).

QRC will battle against seven other schools in the top flight, including defending champions Presentation College Chaguanas. The 50-over premier I division bowls off on January 20.

QRC have produced many quality cricketers in the past, notably former West Indies wicketkeeper Deryck Murray in the 1950s and 1960s.

Shirvan Pragg was one of QRC’s elite players in the 1970s and 1980s, before players like former West Indies Under-15 captain Zaheer Ali, former TT cricketer Justin Guillen and current national cricketer Navin Bidaisee came along.

Recently, in an effort to revamp the school’s cricket programme, the nets on the school ground got a facelift.

“Support has been growing presently,” QRC coach Calvin Phillip told Newsday. “I am aware of the immense richness of the past in cricket with people like Shirvan Pragg and others who were really, really good cricketers. We have fallen off for a while now, but this is the rebuilding stage. This is the first stage where we make an impact, but we work hard on the continuity aspect of it.”

Phillip said students in the lower forms are showing interest in cricket, which would augur well for the future seasons.

“As I said, the boys come together now and they have been together for a while, but the next generation (we are looking at). The form ones, form twos, form threes ?- that is who will be carrying it on - and that is where you need to get a nursery of players from.”

Phillip said the TT Defence Force and The Harvard Coaching Clinic, a stone’s throw away from QRC, are supporting the school. Many of the students train at Harvard and at the Defence Force, while the latter also helps with pitch preparations.

Team manager Curtis Roach and principal David Simon have also been key figures in the rebuilding phase at QRC.

Phillip said it is challenging to encourage more students to participate in cricket, with football and athletics often the more popular choices at QRC.

QRC earned a place in the premier I division this season after winning the north championship division in 2025.

Looking ahead to the season, Phillip said, “Well the QRC boys seem to be in good spirits, but there is a lot of self belief in the team and our preparation has been relatively well organised and we are looking forward to seeing the fruits of that during this particular season,” Phillip said.

He added, “We are poised to try to make a mark, so that people can see that QRC is still interested in being one of the top cricket teams in the country. This is just a start and we are very hopeful and expect that by the grace of God and our efforts, we will prove to be that.”