Kiddy Cricket gears up for new season

The St Vincent and the Grenadines cell of the Scotia Bank Kiddy Cricket programme is gearing up for the 2014-2015 academic year.{{more}}

To boost the anticipated activities, several schools were last Tuesday afternoon presented with kits to aid them in carrying out their end of the programme.

The handing over of the kits took place at the local branch of Scotia Bank.

Giving brief remarks at the handing over were Norman Cumberbatch of Scotia Bank; Nelson Hillocks – director of Physical Education and Sports; local cricket coordinator Stanley Hinds and West Indies Cricket Board director Elson Crick.

All speakers lauded the tremendous benefits of the programme in initiating the students into the sport of cricket.

Crick, who is also the first vice-president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association, indicated that the WICB will soon be embarking on documenting the achievements of the Kiddy Cricket programme over the past 16 years.

He also identified current West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach, along with Sunil Ambris – former West Indies Under-15 and Under-19 player, who is a member of the West Indies A team and Ray Jordan – ex West Indies Under-19 fast bowler, who came through the Kiddy Cricket programme.

Hinds noted that 14-year-old Japhina Joseph, who was part of the Kiddy Cricket programme in 2012, has since made it to the St Vincent and the Grenadines senior women’s team.

The Kiddy Cricket programme, an initiative of the WICB and sponsored by Scotia Bank, began in 1998.

It caters for primary school students between the ages of seven and 12, and is aimed not only at teaching the sport, but also creating passion among the participants.

In the case of St Vincent and the Grenadines, the programme entails the teaching of the basic cricket skills, which culminates with a skills festival, a quiz and a one-week training camp for the sixty students who exhibit the most potential.