Longstanding TTCricket Board (TTCB) partner Scotiabank has invested $300,000 in the NextGen Under-13 Cricket Development Programme.
Scotiabank Foundation director Peter Ghany and general manager Cindy Mohammed presented the cheque to TTCB president Azim Bassarath at the Alloy Lequay Administration Centre in Couva on Friday.
The tournament bowls off on Friday at four venues and will feature eight teams – North, East, North-East, Tobago (Group A) and Central, South, South West and South East (Group B).
Day-one matches bowl off in Shaw Park, Tobago; St Mary’s College Grounds, St Clair; National Cricket Centre, Balmain and James Park, Point Fortin with the first ball from 9.30am.
[caption id="attachment_942951" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Scotiabank Foundation director Peter Ghany has a chat with 2022 NextGen Cricket Development Programme players at the Alloy Lequay Administration Centre in Couva on Friday. At left is TTCB president Azim Bassarath. - Courtesy Scotiabank[/caption]
Bassarath was pleased at Scotiabank’s continued investment in youth cricket and hailed the long-time sponsor as “trailblazers” in youth and national development, owing to its commitment to the development programme.
Now post-pandemic, the TTCB is poised to make up lost ground with an aggressive plan to fast-track its development programme, which had been stymied when sport was halted in March 2020.
He said, “Even at that stage, early into the lockdown, with the grim outlook and dim forecast for the game because of the uncertainty and public health concerns, the TTCB got the assurance from Scotiabank that they will maintain their support for the youth cricketers.
“It gives us great pleasure now to announce that in a step up the ladder, the promising Under-15 and Under-13 cricketers will be engaged in an intensive tournament and developmental programme, which will run concurrently from March 5 to March 25 for the Under-15s.”
During this three-week period, off the pitch, the youngsters will be given lectures by qualified personnel in time management, goal-setting and problem-solving, child protection, leadership and communication, nutrition, mental health and well-being.
This programme continues after the tournament from March 26-April 12 with sessions on financial management, visualisation and discipline, fair play and citizenship, anti-doping and drug abuse, public speaking and managing the media.
Among the lecturers will be former ICC world number one T20 bowler Samuel Badree, teacher and coach Brendon Ramlal, Dexter Rampersad, Bertrand Moses, Guardian Media reporter Ryan Bachoo, Ian Ramlal, Stacy Bridgelalsingh, Kadye Mitchell and Victoria Rajkumar.
Bassarath added, “It is especially important that they be afforded all the support and the tools necessary to realise their greatest potential, which the Scotiabank Development Programme seeks to achieve.”
Also presenting was Brendon Ramlal, five-time (2015-2019) Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket champion teacher and coach of San Francique Presbyterian School.
He was parti
