The Trinidad and Tobago leg of the Republic Bank "Five For Fun" Youth Cricket Programme was launched at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva on May 1, with youngsters from as many as 80 primary schools expected to be exposed to an exciting format of the game.
Matches will be contested across eight districts – Caroni, North Eastern, Port of Spain, South Eastern, St George, St Patrick, Victoria and Tobago – and caters for students from eight to 12 in what is anticipated to be a fun, safe and inclusive learning environment.
The Five For Fun programme was first launched in St Lucia in 2021, while its reach has also extended to St Kitts, (2022), Guyana (2023) and Grenada (2024).
Matches in the various districts will bowl off from June 16-18, with the districts' festival being held from June 23-27 to qualify the zonal winners to the national finals. The finals will be held on July 9 at a venue to be determined.
[caption id="attachment_1152779" align="alignnone" width="1024"] TT Cricket Board president Azim Bassarath (C), National Primary Schools Cricket League president Kelvin Mohammed (third from left), Republic Bank officials and TT Legions members at the launch of the Republic Bank "Five For Fun" cricket programme at the National Cricket Centre, Couva on May 1.[/caption]
National Primary Schools Cricket League president Kelvin Mohammed, who will serve as coordinator of the national programme, praised Republic Bank for their commitment to youth development.
"Most entities enter the game when the lights are bright," Mohammed said. "But you enter at the genesis level."
Each team will have a maximum of eight players, with five players being allowed to play on match days in five-over games. Each playing team must be comprised of three boys and two girls, with special playing conditions set to be applied when an all boys schools meets a coed school.
The format comprises a unique set of rules, with teams getting the chance to earn a maximum of 20 points before games in a bowl-off which will feature every player in the starting five. After the bowl-off, the batting team will have 50 runs added to their total before commencing their innings. Each batter will face one over and will be allowed to continue their innings even if they are dismissed. Each dismissal will see three runs deducted to the team's overall total. The girls will bowl to each other, while the boys will follow suit.
Intriguingly, wide balls will be scored as two runs for the first four overs without being re-bowled. In the fifth and final over, normal wide rules will apply.
Pointing to the make-up of the TT under-15 boys' team, Mohammed said initiatives such as the Five For Fun programme can only help with the development of the young cricketers.
TT Cricket Board president Azim Bassarath, who also serves as the Cricket West Indies vice-president, also offered high praise for the programme and said it continues his organisation's push for developing the country's next generation of cricketers.
"The Republic Bank Five For Fun c
