Young cricketers learn basics from Trinbago Knight Riders

The Academy, formed by the Daren Ganga Foundation, started in May 2016 and plays host to over 100 boys and girls of all ages who are interested in cricket.

Last year, students of the Academy were fortunate to meet and spend the afternoon with some of the top players of the TKR.

This year, approximately 40 students, between the ages of six and 14, got the experience of being trained by the international cricketers and coaches of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise.

Speaking in an interview at the event, treasurer of the DGCA and ex-national cricketer Sherwin Ganga explained, “This is our second year and so far things have been progressing well. Last year we had been invited by Republic Bank Limited for this promotional idea where the kids get to meet some of the professional cricketers and we are very happy they chose us again.” He continued, “The kids have been following the CPL over the last couple of years and they were really excited to meet some of their role models and we hope this experience would be motivational for them as they can learn a lot from of this coaching session.” Nadia Williams, Social Investment Officer at Republic Bank Limited, described the company’s investment as a significant one being the official banking partner of the 2017 CPL T20 tournament.

She detailed, “Our relationship is much more than CPL as we have a corporate social responsibility program where we firmly believe in investing into the young people, for the country and society to survive.” Williams elaborated on the investment during the economic pressures by stating, “Even though the initial cost is in the millions, it not about dollars and cents, it is about what the youths can gain from these experiences and how we can inspire these children by giving them the opportunity to see what they can become and learning how to apply themselves directly from the athletes.” Some of the players present included the captain of the TKR team Dwayne Bravo, along with his brother Darren, Anderson Phillip, Shadab Khan (Pakistan), Colin Munro (New Zealand) and TKR’s coach, Simon Katich from Australia.

Darren Bravo also expressed his sentiments pertaining to the importance of giving back to the community and inspiring the youths, as they are the next generation and future pioneers of the sport.

He stated, “I think this is a very good initiative undertaken by Republic Bank and the DGCA as it is always good to share your experiences with the young and upcoming cricketers to help guide them along the right path and I am sure they would remember this day for a very long time.”