Manager positive U-19s will win Carib Cement cricket

Manager of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-19 cricket team Roland Sampath is confident that should Trinidad and Tobago play to their full potential they will win the Carib Cement Regional Under-19 cricket championship.

Sampath was speaking on the first day of a training camp yesterday at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain. “Things have gotten off really good so far and we hope to have a meaningful camp ahead of our departure at the end of the month. The boys are really looking good and without being too over confident, I can say that they are going to perform well,” Sampath said. He has taken over from president of the Secondary Schools Cricket Council, Roy Jagroopsingh, and is very happy with the preparation of his charges.  “We in Trinidad and Tobago really have to consider ourselves lucky to have indoor nets. At this time of the year when rain is so predominant, practice can be a real problem. Our cricketers have been able to stay indoors and still get in some cricket under their belts. “However the real thing is getting out unto the playing field and playing matches. This we intend to do today when we come up against a strong national Under-23 team headed by Test batsman Daren Ganga,” Sampath said. He thinks the team’s strength is its allround ability. “There are six very good allrounders on our team and we are really starting with a tremendous plus here,” he said.

The all-rounders on the team are Petrock Nicholas, Ravi Rampaul, Aaron Ragoonath, Lendl Simmons, Jonathan Augustus and Vishnu Narine. Sampath also added that the team also has six players who represented the West Indies at the Lombard World Cup in England in 2000. Skipper of that World Cup winning side Tishan Maraj is the Trinidad and Tobago Under-19 team vice-captain. The others are Kavesh Kantasingh, Ragoonath, skipper Denesh Ramdin, Rampaul and Lendl Simmons. Trinidad and Tobago, who last won the title in 1986, have finished second on three of the last four occasions they played in the tournament. This year Trinidad and Tobago are grouped with Jamaica, the Windwards and the United States in Group “A”. They will open their campaign in the one-day series against the United States before facing Jamaica and Windwards in their final two preliminary matches. In the league competition they oppose the Windwards from August 12-14 followed by the United States and Jamaica. Group “B”, which will be the tougher, comprises Barbados, Leewards, hosts Guyana and Bermuda.

REGIONAL U-19 CRICKET FIXTURES
ONE DAY SERIES
Round I: August 5: TT vs USA; Barbados vs Leewards; Guyana vs Bermuda; Windwards vs Jamaica.
Round II: August 6: TT vs Jamaica; USA vs Windwards; Leewards vs Guyana; Bermuda vs Barbados.
Round III: August 7: TT vs Windwards; Barbados vs Guyana; Leewards vs Bermuda; Jamaica vs USA.
Semis: August 9; Finals: August 10.
LEAGUE CUP
Round I: August 12-14: TT vs Windwards; Guyana vs Leewards; Barbados vs Bermuda; Jamaica vs USA.
Round II: August: 16-18: TT vs USA; Guyana vs Barbados; Bermuda vs Leewards; Jamaica vs Windwards.
Round III: August:20-22: TT vs Jamaica; Leewards vs Barbados; Bermuda vs Guyana; Windwards vs USA.
Semis: August 24-26; Finals: August 28-30.