Zonal U-15 cricket competition is back

The executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association Inc is endeavouring to elevate the national Under-15 male cricket team from its occupied position of last in the Windward Islands tournament.

Among the list of measures to ensure St Vincent and the Grenadines perform better when the tournament is hosted here in December, is the return of the Zonal Under-15 competition.

The competition is set to commence August 14 and end August 30, as disclosed by second vice-president of the SVGCA Inc Denis Byam, when he spoke at a press briefing recently, at the association secretariat at Arnos Vale.

“We are going to rejuvenate the Zonal Under-15 competition … We have seen the success of our Under-19 team, winning the tournament for the last three years and we haven’t won the Under-15 for a number of years. We are looking to have a good St Vincent (and the Grenadines) Under-15 team come December,” Byam noted.

The SVGCA Inc’s second vice-president informed that eight teams stashed into two zones will contest the revived competition.

In Zone A are North Windward, South Windward, Marriaqua and Central Windward, which will have the London Playing Field, the Park Hill Playing Field and the Stubbs Playing Field, as the venues for the hosting of their matches.

Making up Zone B are Bequia and Kingstown Combined, Central and South Leeward, North Leeward and East and West St George, named St George’s.

The Arnos Vale, Petit Bordel, Sion Hill and Buccament Bay playing fields will take care of matches in Zone B.

Byam revealed that all teams can include a maximum of two female players in their squads.

Expounding on the plans in train, Byam stated, “We have managers and coaches appointed for this tournament … We are having regular meetings with the staff of the teams.

“At the end of this tournament on the 30th, we have selectors in place, who will be attending all games…We will be selecting a 30-man squad to start training early September, right through to December, that we can have the best team possible available for St Vincent and the Grenadines”.

Apart from the Zonal competition, the SVGCA Inc, is hopeful that their other programmes, such as the creation of the Lennox John Cricket Academy, as well as the efforts of others, will aid in St Vincent and the Grenadines producing a better Under-15 team in their next outing.

When the Windward Islands Under-15 tournament was introduced in the mid-1980s, St Vincent and the Grenadines was the early power house.

That status in recent times has been held by St Lucia.