Arnos Vale, St. Vincent – March 1, 2017 – Cricketing history will be made in St.Vincent and the Grenadines this Saturday when the SVG Cricket Association Inc. launches the Lennox John National Cricket Academy. The Academy will be launched at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 4th, at the Media Center of the National Sports Council, Arnos Vale. The Launch will feature remarks from the President of the SVG Cricket Association Inc. Kishore Shallow, Patron of the Academy Mr. Lennox John, and the Coordinator of the Academy Mr. Cleton Burnett. The announcement of the first batch of players in the Academy and the presentation of the Daren Ganga Sponsorship of Gears to Tijourn Pope will follow.
The Lennox John National Cricket Academy will run annually for nine months, with sessions to be held primarily on Saturdays at the Arnos Vale Playing Field. Irvin Warrican is the Academy’s Head coach. He will have as his assistants, Ms. Samantha Lynch, Mr. Bertram Stapleton and Mr. Alston Bobb.
The Academy will focus on twenty players annually; ten in the under fifteen age bracket and ten at the under nineteen level. The under fifteen players included in the 2017 batch are Handel Rohan, Solomon Bascombe, Newton Browne, Kody Da Breo, Randy Joseph, Dwayne Henry, Kirtney Franklyn, Irvin Warrican Jr., Jerrol Edwards and Jeanna Fredericks. The under 19 players identified for this year are Jahiel Walters, Tijourn Pope, Rayon Williams, Urnel Thomas, Tilron Harry, Jeremy Layne, Rayshorn John, Gregory Wyllie, Kimone Homer and Allison Antoine.
For the first year, there has been one additional player, in 14-year-old Ojay Matthews, who has recently recovered from an illness that had him hospitalized for over 2 months. Ojay’s participation is sponsored by Famtastic Events.
Attention will then shift to the Finals of the National Lotteries Authority Neil Williams National 20/20 competition, to take place at the Sion Hill Playing Field from 2:00 p.m. on Saturday 4th March. Team Rival and Victors One will clash, as they vie for honors to be crowned the new champions of the shortest version of the game in St.Vincent and the Grenadines. If last Sunday’s result between both teams was anything to go by, Victors One will go into Saturday’s Finals with the upper hand. Team Rivals will not be daunted, and will prepare a new plan for the Finals, which is expected to be a thriller. Saturday’s 20/20 Finals will feature the top three batsmen in runs accumulated so far this season; Casmond Walters of Team Rivals with a tally of 505 runs, Miles Bascombe of Victors One with 456 runs and Hyron Shallow of Team Rivals on 445 runs. Alston Bobb the leading wicket taker so far, with 23 scalps, will also be on show.
The SVG Cricket Association Inc. will also begin the 2017 National Lotteries Authority 50 overs Sunday League this weekend. Two matches are down for decision on Sunday 5th March. At the Sion Hill playing field, Victors Two will come up against Strike Eagles in a Group A encounter, while at the Buccament Bay playing field, newcomers Glamorgan will do battle against the 2016 runners up, French Verandah SVG Community College, in a group B match up. Both games begin at 10:00 a.m.
Female cricket action will also be on this weekend at the Stubbs playing field. Garifuna Stars, just off a record-breaking victory two weekends ago, will clash with J.G Tigress on Saturday 4th March, while United Survivors come up against Radcliffe Women on Sunday 5th March. Games in the Women’s competition begin at 12:30 p.m. each day and are of 40 overs duration per innings.
The SVG Cricket Association Inc. are also reminding teams in the National Lotteries Authority Primer Division that Registration closes on Monday 6th March. Registration fee is $1200.00 for eighteen players, and any additional player (s) will attract a fee of $50.00 per player.
Roxell John
PRO
SVGCA Inc.
