BASSETERRE St. Kitts, March 13th, 2012 -- A cricket league featuring eight teams from St. Kitts and Nevis, and a forthcoming netball training programme involving young women from St. Peter’s in St. Kitts have been boosted by Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis’ monetary contributions.
Responding to requests from the New Town Cricket Club for sponsorship of a 25 overs league that is taking place at Conaree in St. Kitts and Cotton Ground in Nevis, and from Netball Coach Judy Tyrell, the bank handed the sponsorship cheques on Tuesday March 13, at its head office in Basseterre.
Ms Danienne Brin, Executive Assistant to the Development Bank’s General Manager Mr Lenworth Harris, in handing over the cheques noted that the Development Bank is cognisant of the fact that sportsmen and women are the nation’s best ambassadors.
“Our sportsmen and sportswomen have brought fame to this country and have represented us well in the regional and international arena,” said Ms Brin. “The bank is pleased to partner with the New Town Cricket Club and Ms Judy Tyrell in ensuring that our young people are constructively engaged through the various sporting activities.”
The New Town Cricket Club has since January 28, 2012 been hosting a 25 overs league in honour of Stanley Thompson Jr with the aim popularising the game and bringing in crowds. Matches are played at the Conaree Cricket Ground in St. Kitts and the Cotton Ground Cricket Ground in Nevis.
According to the club’s PRO and player, Mr Steven Liburd, the teams taking part in the league are New Town, Sandy Point Cricket Club, Young Guns Cricket Club, and the Len Harris Cricket Academy, while the teams from Nevis are Empire Cricket Club, Highlights International Cricket Club, Jessups Cricket Club and Government All Stars Road Cricket Club.
Mr Liburd, who was accompanied by the team captain, Mr Kevin Hanley, lamented that crowds watching cricket matches in St. Kitts and Nevis have dwindled as opposed to football and basketball which continue to attract large crowds.
“Right now we are trying to bring back cricket in St. Kitts because for the past three years cricket has not been really a sport that people come out to watch,” said Mr Liburd. “We are venturing to field different initiatives taking back cricket into the schools and right now we are having this tournament going on.”
The final preliminary matches will be held this weekend, and the semi finals the following weekend, and Mr Liburd is appealing to all cricket lovers to come out to support the games. He at the same time expressed gratitude to the Development Bank for agreeing to sponsor the league.
Ms Judy Tyrell, who is the coach of the St. Peter’s Netball Team and former coach of the St. Kitts Netball Association Under 16 and Under 23 national teams, said that in her ongoing quest for the development of the young women, “I continue to work at maintaining the sport of netball as a premier sporting activity.”
In this respect, she observed that in an effort to improve and develop the skills of the netballers at the Dean Glasford Primary School and other interested young ladies between the ages of 9 to 16, she will run a Netball Star Programme on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon at the St. Peter’s netball court. The clinic starts in two-week’s time.
“The programme is designed overall to transform young netball players into netball stars,” said Ms Tyrell. “I know that netball is the only dominant female sport in St. Kitts and in order to get the youths involved, I think that they should start at this age. It is not just to learn playing netball; I want to get them introduced to the rules of the game as well.”
The sponsorship from the Development Bank will enable her to buy training balls, netball bibs, netball cones, a cooler and a First Aid kit. While thanking the Development Bank for agreeing to sponsor the programme, she said that once she makes a mark with girls from her community, she will endeavour to involve those from outside her community in future training programmes.
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