El Dorado to possibly forfeit the rest of SSCL season

EL DORADO East Secondary School has made the decision to withdraw from the PowerGen Secondary Schools Cricket League premiership division, citing several reasons that have made competing in the league a challenge.

El Dorado were excited to feature in the 2024 premiership division after earning promotion from the north championship division. The team faced obstacles before the season bowled off one month ago, but they tried to stay positive.

El Dorado forfeited Tuesday’s round-six match against Presentation College, Chaguanas.

When Newsday contacted one of the team’s committee members Selwyn Cumberbatch yesterday, he outlined all the challenges facing the team.

Cumberbatch said injuries, unavailability of players due to CSEC examinations, a lack of equipment and no sufficient teacher supervision are among the issues. A school cricket team can only compete with a supervisor in attendance. Cumberbatch and others have tried to attend matches, but more adult support is required.

He said the SSCL general secretary will be notified of the school's decision at least two days before the date of each match.

“A decision had to be made and the decision in our best interest is to try to go ahead with Under-16 and the Under-14 (teams) and forgo the premiership for now,” Cumberbatch said.

Some of the players on the El Dorado team are in Form One. Cumberbatch said the younger players are still learning the game and he is also concerned about their safety.

Despite the difficulties, the El Dorado players still showed up for the first five rounds of matches. The results did not go El Do’s way as they lost all five matches.

El Dorado will forfeit their last three matches against Presentation College (San Fernando), Fatima College and Naparima College. The premiership 50-over season ends on March 12.

Cumberbatch said he was advised to pull out game by game, but said there is no chance they can field a team for the rest of the season. “There is no way we would be able to field a team for any of those games, we just don’t have the players.

“I don’t know how other schools are managing, especially those schools that don’t have that strong support...I have nobody to score. I have to leave (matches) to go buy the food, the drinks. I am doing the best I could with the resources that I have. For me, the call had to be made to give up one (competition).”

Cumberbatch said he knows of other schools in east Trinidad with their own struggles. On a positive note, El Dorado East have been able to secure a full-time coach since the season began as Namir Suepaul has agreed to guide the team moving forward. Before the season bowled off, Suepaul was helping the team.

Cumberbatch’s hope moving forward is for a more level playing field, so all students will get an equal opportunity.

“If you really want to look at cricket and developing cricket...some of the top cricketers may be hiding in the bowels of the East-West corridor and these areas, but they just don’t have the opportunity to come out and play.” Requests to maintain the El Dorado school grounds have fallen on deaf ears as the regional corporation has not shown up.

“You are not going to get grassroot cricketers coming up in the school system because there is not much opportunities for them to do so...the great cricketers that could come through from the grassroots you are not going to get that because they need that extra support. You have to level the playing field a little bit more.

It have boys here who have natural physique, natural talent, but they don’t have the resources.”