Flow sponsors girls hard ball cricket

Mohammed was speaking at the official opening of the Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL)/Flow 2017 cricket season at the National Cricket Centre in Couva, yesterday.

The three-year partnership between SSCL and Flow, will focus on girls cricket from Form One to Three, and also boys cricket in Forms One and Two.

Mohammed, who attended the launch with fellow West Indies cricketers Merissa Aguilleira and Britney Cooper, told the students to capitalise on the opportunity.

Mohammed said, “I am very honoured to be here on this historic day. Girls playing hard ball at secondary school, who would have thought? Merissa, Britney, we played soft ball (tennis ball) cricket.

If we weren’t tough, it would have been hard for us to move on to national cricket, so you all are very fortunate to be able to play hard ball cricket at secondary school, so well done to Flow.” Powergen has been a sponsor of the SSCL for the past 21 years, and president of the SSCL Surujdath Mahabir is challenging Flow to be long term partners also.

Mahabir said, “Flow is with us for the first time, as everyone knows we have been with Powergen for 21 years and the Secondary Schools League is 54 years old. We have asked Flow, being on board with us for three years, we want to challenge them to be with us for another 21 years as we seek to build girls cricket. The focus for the Flow programme will be on girls hard ball cricket.” Mahabir added, “What we are trying to do with this programme is to reach out to entire Trinidad and Tobago, find new talent, develop new talent, who will later go on to represent our zonal team and our national team.” Director of communications and stakeholder relations at Flow Trudy De Verteuil, said that the company plans to be involved with the SSCL for a long time. De Verteuil said, “As a sponsor we are now starting, but we are far from finished and you (students) are far from finished. Every single one of you sitting here in front of me and every single one of you involved in the Secondary School Cricket League, you are far from finished.

Our job is to invest in you, to support you and to help you achieve your dreams, because when you achieve your dreams, we achieve our objectives.” Aguilleira also spoke to the youngsters, pleading with them to listen to their parents and elders, saying it will help them live positive lifestyles.

The opening was followed by a number of exhibition games, culminating with the Girls T20 North versus South Classic. North defeated South by nine wickets.

Some of the schools that attended the launch were Success Laventille, Queen’s Royal College, Holy Name, Fatima, San Juan North, Barataria South, Cunupia High, Holy Faith Convent, St Benedict’s, Rio Claro West and Cowen Hamilton.