Students of more than 30 primary schools in Dominica will be better equipped to play and learn the game of cricket thanks to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Kiddy Cricket Program that was launched at the Windsor Park Stadium this afternoon.
At the ceremony Dominica Cricket Association President, Emmanuel Nanthan, said that the future of West Indies Cricket depends on programs like Kiddy Cricket and the passion that can be ignited in the youth, not only of Dominica, but around the Caribbean.
“The hope of this program is to ensure that the candle is lit here today around the Caribbean in the hearts of young boys and girls in schools. We want to ensure that the boys and girls of the Caribbean get that passion, that joy, that love for cricket. We want to ensure that in you we have a candle that will shine bright and be kept burning until you pass on that candle to those who come after you,” he said.
Trevor Shillingford, who represented the Minister of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, urged the coaches and teachers who will be administering the program, not to expect too much from the students just yet. “We are not looking for Brian Lara’s out of the young cricketers. We are looking to develop their skills, and to do so the activities must be fun, so please ensure that when you go out to deliver your coaching to the children there must be an element of fun to it,” he pointed out.
Shillingford encouraged the students in attendance to embrace and take full advantage of the opportunity afforded them through the program, emphasizing that the girls are also to take it very seriously.
Kiddy Cricket is a WICB initiative sponsored by Scotia Bank and has been implemented in a number of cricketing countries throughout the region.
This is great news! I was always of the view that avenues should be created for young ones to learn and appreciate the sport in order to grow up and become masters of the game. This is an excellent opportunity for the young ones to groom and showcase their talents. Let’s hope that the schools and the parents will maximise this opportunity by allowing their children to fully participate in this initiative.
Excellent initiative. I hope that girls will take it just as seriously just as boys do and that parents will be supportive of the sport in general.
This is positive work
Very good initiative indeed