Windies U-19 to camp at NCC

THE West Indies Under-19 cricket team will begin a two-week training camp at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) from Sunday, as part of their preparation for the 2004 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.

This was revealed by team  manager Roland Sampath yesterday, after a workout with  the Trinidad and Tobago senior national cricket team. “The boys will be arriving on Saturday for the camp and it begins in earnest on Sunday morning at the National Cricket Centre (NCC). “The facilities at the NCC are the best in the Caribbean and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) saw the value of  having the guys come to Trinidad for this preparation before the World Cup,” Sampath said. West Indies Under-19s led by Trinidadian Dinesh Ramdin will leave at the end of January for Bangladesh, where they will compete in the World Cup which gets underway on February 15.

While in Trinidad the youth cricketers will undergo intensive physical sessions as well as net practice. During the camp, weather permitting, they will play a few matches against the Trinidad and Tobago senior team who are themselves preparing for next year’s  Carib Cup. Professionals will also visit the camp to help prepare the players mentally for the tough task ahead. There will be classroom sessions with the players being exposed to the history of West Indies cricket. And players will also be briefed in the geography and culture of Bangladesh where they will spend three weeks. West Indies have played in all four Youth Cricket World Cup but are yet to win.