WI women cricketers need more $$

ALTHOUGH the Trinidad and Tobago Government agreed to underwrite the financial cost for the airline fares of the women cricketers selected on the West Indies team to the upcoming Women World Cup tournament, the West Indies Women Cricket Federation is still begging and is hopeful that kind and generous sponsors would come forward and assist in sending the team to South Africa. The World Cup tournament is scheduled from March 22 to April 12. The WI women team, which includes players from five Caricom countries — TT, Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines; qualified for this year’s tournament after play-offs matches were held in Pakistan last year. It cost the WIWCF a huge sum to send the squad and they performed beyond expectations and even triumphed over the homesters in an exciting series.

Since then they have been preparing for the upcoming contest and held two training camps at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre. At the Couva-based Centre, the girls trained diligently but they are living in hope that their Federation will be able to raise the necessary finances to get them involved in two more training stints together before the World Cup competition. According to Browne-John, who is also secretary of the West Indies Women Cricket Federation (WIWCF), they are very happy that the Trinidad and Tobago Government has come forward and agreed to pay the airline fares for all the Trinidadians who will be selected on the team.

She declared that this is a big help and we are very grateful for the funding. It a very good gesture by the TT Government. We are more hopeful that the other Governments in the region will also assist us in sponsoring other members on the team. We really are hoping that they hear our plea, and understand our plight. The girls have been training very hard. And it will be a big let down if we are not able to raise enough money to send the team, Browne-John stressed. The round trip airfare for each player is TT$18,000. And apart from the airline fare, the players need money to prepare adequately, to be outfitted properly and also to have enough to cover the cost of hotel accommodation and meals for one week prior to the tournament.

Browne-John insisted that they need a lot more money to prepare, outfit and pay hotel accommodation and meals for all the players while in South Africa. Browne-John disclosed  “it will cost close to TT$35,000 overall for one player. This will include paying the airline fares, cost for training camps,  uniforms, accommodation and meals in South Africa. With the Trinidad and  Tobago Government paying only the airline fares for a part of the team, we would still need much more for even all the Trinidadian players who will be on the team. Then there is the additional cost for the players from the other countries.” The WIWCF and the players had it rough to muster the necessary funding to travel to Pakistan last year for the qualifying series. Now that they have made the grade and are among the top eight women teams which qualify for the World Cup, it will be a big tragedy and shame and also a major setback in the lives of these talented women players.

The WIWCF has approached all the Caricom Governments, many corporate entities, the West Indies Cricket Board but the officials and players are very frustrated but hopeful that their pleas would be heard and help would be forthcoming. TT Government must be commended for getting the ball rolling and is the time for the other Governments and corporate citizens in the region to show that they recognise the worth of investing in the development of the sporting prowess of regional women sports personalities. TT has seven players in the final WI women squad, including the appointed captain Stephanie Power. Browne-John and physio-trainer Neil Lashley are also Trinidadians.

The full WI squad: Stephanie Power (capt), Shane DeSilva, Nelly Williams, Envis Williams, Anisa Mohammed, Felicia Cummings and Kirbyina Alexander (TT), Pamela Lavine (Barbados), Indomatie Goordial (Guyana), Verena Felicien, Phillipa Thomas-Eudovic, Nadine George (St Lucia), Juliana Nero and Cordell Jack (St Vincent).
Officials are: Cinda Bobb, manager, Ann Browne-John, coach and Neil Lashley, physio-trainer.