Thomas thrilled with CCC call-up

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

FORMER National Under-19 batsman and captain of the Mico University College cricket team, Shacoya Thomas, will leave the island today to join the Combined Campuses and College (CCC) outfit for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional four-day tournament.

Thomas, who formerly represented Eltham High and Dinthill Technical, will join his Mico University College teammate, Nkrumah Bonner, on the CCC team.

Thomas will replace a member of the team who has been recalled to represent Barbados, replacing Kirk Edwards who was in turn summoned to join the West Indies team at the World Cup.

Carlton Baugh and Adrian Barath were the players replaced in the Windies World Cup squad due to injuries. Edwards and the Windward Islands' Devon Thomas were the players drafted by the West Indies.

Thomas is very elated.

"I got the call from the manager of the CCC team , Haughton Dolphin, on Sunday and I am very elated as this will be the first opportunity for me at the senior level and I am going to grab this opportunity with both hands as I have been training hard and I knew this would have come one day," he said.

"Nkrumah is my best friend and going there I will not feel left out because we have trained and played together for years and I know he will do his best to help motivate me," Thomas added.

He had attended a one-day trial for the CCC team last October.

Thomas, who represented the West Indies Youth team in 2007 and 2008, has also had great success at the schoolboy level. As playing for Eltham High in the final of the Grace Shield competition against St Catherine High in 2005, he scored a triple century (324 not out).

His coach at Mico, Altimond Solomon, believes Thomas will do well.

"This is a great opportunity for Thomas and I am very confident that he will handle himself well in the competition," said Solomon.

The CCC will play their next match against England Lions at Three W's Oval, Cave Hill, Barbados, beginning on Friday.