PowerGen bats for schools again

And Powergen’s Corporate Communication’s Manager Omar Khan has said his company will for the tenth year provide substantial funding towards the staging of the tournament starting tomorrow.

Details were given yesterday at a media lauch at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

The competition bowls off with a Super-Sixes play-off among the championship schools for boys at four different venues including Mico Recreation Ground in Arranjuez, the Barataria Ball Players Ground on Sixth Street Barataria, the Aranguez Recreation Ground and the Riversdale Recreation Gound in St Joseph.

Among the shools that will be contesting the Super Sixes will be the defending boys champions Barrackpore Senior Comprehensive.

Forbes Persaud, president of the SSCL said 16 schools will be put into four groups of four teams each and that the official start of the league competition will be on Friday.

Barrackpore Comprehensive hosts Ire High School in their opening match of the South Central Zone; while Presentation (Chaguanas) will meet Pleasantville Senior Comprehensive at home.

Round One of the South Central Zone will also see Union Claxton Bay hosting Naparima College while Princes Town Senior welcome ASJA Boys of Charlieville.

In the North East Zone, Fatima College and Manzanilla High School meet at Fatima; while St Anthony’s will come up against Queen’s Royal College at Westmoorings.

The other two matches will feature St Mary’s College and Toco Composite at Serpentine Road, St Clair; while El Dorado Secondary Composite and Hillview College will clash at the Moonlighting Ground, Tunapuna.

Persaud said the SSCL will also incorporate competition for girls who will begin their season with a cricket festival next week.

According to Persaud, the final of the girls competition will be held on the same day as the boys fixture, and will become permanent on the calendar.

Their championship match will precede the boys final to be played under lights, most likely at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre.

Persaud also highlighted the partnership between the SSCL and the Cricket Board which has come up with a youth development cricket programme for Form One students.

Khan, the national cricklet team manager said PowerGen stands committed and supportive of the schools cricket competition since they see it as not only a sponsorship deal, but a step towards the overall development of the nation’s youth.

He said a recent strategic seminar put on by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) highlighted the need to return to the school’s programme where youth development is of paramount importance towards the production of top quality cricket in the region.

According to Khan, PowerGen has for the past ten years funded the schools competition, and given out a scholarship for the most outstandng cricketer.

He pointed out that young cricketer Kavesh Kantarsingh has been the last recipient of the scholarship to the University of the West Indies at St Augustine where he is studying Mechanical Engineering.

Khan said through PowerGen’s sponsorship, there has been added development by students who were encouraged to write stories on matches as well as scoring and umpiring.

Deryck Murray, president of the TTCB said he cannot over-mphasise the importance of the schools league in the development of the sport in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.

The former West Indies wicketkeeper said that it is through the school competition that young cricketers spend most of their time learning and enhancing their skills.