‘Dudes’ looks for Unit Trust stars

Given the woeful state of West Indies cricket at present, first vice-president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control (TTCBC), Dudnath Ramkessoon is looking forward. And he sees several future stars in the Unit Trust Under-19 Interzone cricket series. Ramkessoon made this comment in an address to the cricketers at the formal opening of the 2004 Unit Trust Interzone cricket series at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Balmain Village, Couva yesterday.

“With the current cricketing climate, we need for you guys to step forward and perform well for your zone, country and by extension the West Indies. This is a vital stage in your development and there are so much opportunities for you today and you must grasp the chance to play cricket,” the former West Indies Youth captain said. “Over the years we have had some very good cricketers coming out of the Under-19 tournament and recently we have had West Indies bowler Ravi Rampaul who played in the Unit Trust tournament last year and also regional Under-19 skipper Dinesh Ramdin,” he said.

Ramdin and Rampaul were on the Central Under-19 team that won the title last year. “You all must use these players as example and follow them in order to play for your country and to go even further and play for the West Indies. You must also be thankful as we are for the sponsorship given by Unit Trust,” Ramkessoon said. “We at the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control are very thankful for the help given to the nation’s youth cricketers by the Unit Trust Corporation and we are all looking forward to great results from the tournament,” he said.

Kevin Dolly, Marketing Officer at Unit Trust was also on hand and gave his company’s commitment to youth cricket in Trinidad and Tobago. He said that UTC were very happy to be involved in the development of cricket in Trinidad and Tobago and thanked the TTCBC for the opportunity to be part of the set up. The tournament bowled off yesterday with the opening match featuring defending champions Central Zone against Tobago at the National Cricket Centre (NCC).