Norman's Windball Cricket League celebrates 20 years

WINDBALL cricket is a popular past time in Trinidad and Tobago as people flock to recreation grounds throughout the country to play. Many organisers have pushed windball cricket, but not like Norman Mungroo who is celebrating 20 years of hosting competitions.

A passionate man about cricket, Mungroo once had cricket dreams of his own. After a workplace accident those dreams were put on hold, but he did not let that end his contributions to cricket.

Mungroo, who visited the Newsday office in Port of Spain recently, said, "I used to play hard ball (cricket) at a competitive stage, East zone and what not and then I came and got injured with my hand. It was a serious injury, so I really could not play the hard ball again." He was a capable batsman, who liked to play attacking shots for the Tacarigua Youth Organisation.

"Some people might have given up," Mungroo said.

Instead, he saw it as an opportunity to give cricketers an avenue to showcase their skills and express themselves.

"It had a small ground in my area – the Tacarigua Community Centre – and I just came up with the idea (to start a league). I love cricket so much and I just wanted to keep up with it, so I started 2004."

The tournament started with just a few teams, but it has seen growth over the years.

"The first year it was just teams from the community. That first year (former TT and West Indies batsman) Lendl Simmons was part of it because he is from the area. It was just an ordinary tournament with people playing with different uniforms and then after that every year I just started to improve until I would say 2007, 2008 when the tournament just kicked off."

As the years progressed, Mungroo had more structure and rules. "After 2007, 2008 the tournament just started to lift and lift. We started getting more serious in the sense of if you do not have uniforms you cannot play in the tournament. That is some of the rules I started to put down, so people will start having respect for the tournament."

The Norman's Windball Cricket League has also helped develop the cricket ability of T20 superstars.

"Kieron Pollard – who is also from the (Tacarigua) area – came and started to play. Nobody knew who was Kieron Pollard at that time and he graced my tournaments."

During the late 2000s and early 2010s, TT were unstoppable in the T20 format of the game with the likes of Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Simmons, Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree all T20 stars. Many of them have played in the Norman's Windball League.

Around that time, a foreign reporter asked what makes TT cricketers so dominant in T20 cricket.

"It had this reporter from Australia on a flight and he asked Pollard, Rayad (Emrit) and these guys, 'How do you all get so good in this format?' They say we play windball (cricket) back home. They told him we play by Norman."

Popular cricket website espncricinfo has recognised Mungroo in an article also. "If you ask Sunil, (Nicholas) Pooran and Simmons and (those players), they will tell you the moving ball in windball, if you could hit that moving ball in windball (cricket), hard ball comes like nothing."

Creating an avenue for cricketers is a fulfiling feeling for Mungroo. "I would say I am just grateful for the opportunity to give back something. To be honest, I did not know my tournament would have reached here today. (After) 20 years I am happy, but you would figure that after 20 years it would have some sort of sponsorship."

Mungroo, who thanked National Lotteries Control Board, for supporting his tournament in recent years, is still without a full-time sponsor. First Citizens has also thrown support behind the tournament.

His cricket tournament is not only about the action on the field as it builds camaraderie. "That makes me feel good. You can come and you may not know people and after the game you talk and you end up best friends."

Over the last three years, the tournament has been held at the Eddie Hart Savannah after renovations at the Tacarigua Community Centre made it difficult to continue hosting the tournament there. He thanked chairman of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation Josiah Austin for backing him over the years.

This year's tournament, featuring over 50 teams, bowls off on July 7 and will end in November. The tournament is played over four-five months because matches are only played on weekends and public holidays.

This year's first prize will reflect how long Mungroo has been running tournaments as the premier division winner will cop $20,000. Players will also compete in the Over-40 and the best of the rest division, for teams that don't advance to the premier division round of 16. Women are also involved as exhibition matches have been contested.

Furniture Boys, Sample Six, Strike Force and Premium have been a few of the exciting teams to compete during the history of the league. "I just want to thank all the teams that play in my tournament. I have my family who gives me that support and some really good friends."