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Singh hails 'Kiddy Cricket' festival

Published:Wednesday | November 23, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Lyndel Wright (left), president of the Jamaica Cricket Association, shows young cricketers how to bat while Monique Todd (second left), vice-president marketing, public relations and corporate affairs, Scotiabank, looks on, at the West Indies Cricket Board Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket Festival launch at Spring Village Primary School last week Thursday.Rudolph Brown/Photographer

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Kiddy Cricket Officer, K.J. Singh, says exposure is one of the main reasons why his organisation has teamed up with Scotiabank to launch an inaugural Kiddy Cricket Festival across 11 countries in the region.

The festival, which will see more than 70 primary and preparatory schools taking part in the Jamaican leg, was launched last weekend at Spring Village Primary, with the home team facing Old Harbour Primary in the opening matchup.

"The festival was introduced as a developmental initiative by the WICB to give the students additional opportunities to play the sport, expose them to further training from their coaches, while increasing their active interest in the programme," said Singh.

The festival, which is the first of two for the 2011-12 academic year, will allow the organisers to continue to identify talented players and schools, as well as allow the children to sharpen their skills.

Four-week festival

It will run for four weeks and will see the participating schools competing during preliminary zonal games.

These matches will then culminate into parish finals, which will see the top eight schools from across the island meet on the day of the 'Finals'.

During the 'Finals', the eight schools will play each other in knockout games, with the top two schools going on to face each other for the Scotiabank/WICB Kiddy Cricket Festival Trophy.

"Over the past 12 years, we have seen several youngsters with immense potential rising to the professional leagues," said Scotiabank regional sponsorship manager, Simone Hull, shortly after the launch.

"We anticipate that the Kiddy Cricket Festival will allow even more talented players to shine, as the matches give them a chance to play the sport much more often and develop their technique.

"Even more significant to us is the fact that coaches will be able to see these players and introduce them to clinics and training programmes to propel them further," she added.

In addition to the WICB/Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket Festival Trophy, participants will also compete for other sectional titles, including boy and girl Player of the Festival, the most disciplined team and the most dedicated coach. The top eight schools will also receive a certificate.

The festival is slated to end on Thursday, December 8.