Franchise T20 for women coming

Making this disclosure was TT CB CEO Suruj Ragoonath, during a welcome reception yesterday for the Red Force Divas who won the Women’s Regional Super50 competition.

The reception took place at the VIP Lounge, Piarco International Airport, and was staged less than 24 hours after TT defeated Barbados by 21 runs, at the Arnos Vale Recreation Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent, to retain their Super50 crown.

“We have a T20 Franchise (event) that is coming up,” said Ragoonath. “That, I think, is something that is going to be very exciting. It’s going to be historic in the region.” Ragoonath continued, “A women’s T20 Franchise Tournament, four teams in Trinidad and one East team which is already purchased by a very renowned West Indies cricketer.

I would not tell you who he is.

“We have three other teams - Central, South and North. So this tournament is going to be over a week (long). We are hoping Minister (of Sport Darryl Smith), that we can formalise that the final will be on May 19 at the Brian Lara (Academy) and that the (Sports) Ministry will get involved in a financial capacity, to make this thing very possible.” Ragoonath, the former TT and West Indies opening batsman, noted, “We have ladies coming from the West Indies women’s team who are outside of Trinidad and Tobago.

So we expect that in each of these four franchise teams that there would be, at least, two non-Trinidadians, who have already been spoken to.

“We’re going to have a pool.

We’re going to be drafting (from) the pool for each of the teams. So we intend to give it a regional flavour. To help in that aspect, we would need all hands on deck.” Smith, in his turn at the podium, pointed out, “I love the idea and it’s something that we’ll support. Hopefully that could mushroom into a regional tournament. It’s fantastic that Trinidad is being innovative enough to start that. Kudos to the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Cricket (Association).” He admitted that financial support towards the TT WCA may not be all that they expect due to economical constraints but assured “we’re trying our best with the situation that we’re in.” Veteran TT captain Merissa Aguilleira spoke on the factors which drove the team to success in this year’s competition.

“I believed that we got a second chance to show the Barbados team that we came here to do something, and that was to be victorious,” she said, in relation to Barbados’ six-wicket victory over the Red Force Divas in their opening round match on April 19. “I believed in each one of the players. It was earned, it was well-deserved.

We trained hard, we quarrelled as a team, we did everything as a team, we prayed as a team.

And I always believed united we stand (and) divided we fall.

And we were united throughout.” Aguilleira heaped praises on the technical staff - coach Gerald Garcia, manager Marjorie Thomas and trainer Wayne Samuel, who were key factors in the team’s triumph.

Also speaking at the function was Jocelyn Francois-Opadeyi, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Cricket Association (TT WCA).