SVG Cricket cashes in on WICB’s Initiative

The local cricket set-up and other organized cricket groups across the region now have at their disposal a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) incentive to assist them in their development.{{more}}

The WICB, last Friday, formally announced a historic US$360,000 grant programme, aimed at supporting club cricket across the Caribbean.

Although St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the other three Windward islands do not have a formal club structure in place like the larger territories, they will still be afforded the facility.

Development Officer for Cricket in the Windward Islands, Vincentian Irvin Warrican, told SEARCHLIGHT last Sunday, that instead, there will be “clusters” in the four islands.

“ We are having three clusters per territory in each of the four islands, two for [the] twelve to fifteen age group and one catering for boys at the Under-17 level,” Warrican said.

Warrican explained that at the 12 to 15 age group, there will be 30 participants per cluster, but each cluster must have six female participants.

“There must be 60 hours contact, three hours each Saturday, and there will be monthly evaluation on the participants’ progress,” he added.

“There will be two coaches assigned per cluster and other coaches will be rotated among the clusters,” Warrican further stated.

Warrican said that the three clusters here would be located at the North Union Playing Field, the Buccament Bay Playing Field and the Arnos Vale Playing Field, which he said will be designated for the Under-17 preparations.

The former St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Windwards off-spinner said that the reasoning behind an Under-17 cluster is in preparation for a Windwards Under-17 competition, during August. This will be ahead of the West Indies Tournament, slated for December of this year.

He projected a start up date for St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ operations during the course of February, as the groundwork has already been laid in identifying the prospective candidates to fill the clusters.

Warrican said that the Grassroots Support Facility also dovetails with the Kiddy Cricket Programme, which caters for the 7 to 12 years age group, and which is set for a re-launch, today.

The Grassroots Cricket Support Facility will make available US$90,000 to clubs across the region, in four periods, over two years.

Clubs and organized cricket groups can apply to the WICB for a grant of up to US$5,000 each.

The grants will be issued to clubs to aid in one of three areas: Infrastructure Development, Strengthen Training Programmes and Procurement of gear and equipment.

The Grassroots Cricket Support Facility is part of a broader partnership with Digicel on grassroots cricket.

The four periods of the grant execution are March 2011 – June 2011, July 2011 to December 2011, February 2012 to June 2012 and July 2012 to December 2012. (RT)