Hunte: New youth tournament key to Windies development

ST JOHN’S— West Indies Cricket Board president Julian Hunte has labelled the inaugural WICB Under-17 tournament that bowls off Sunday as “another pillar of development” in regional cricket. The historic 50-over tournament, which will be played in Tobago, will last a week and feature six teams playing through five rounds. “We are delighted to have finally begun our regional Under 17 programme. This tournament is another pillar of our development structure as it offers the young players a bridge between Under 15 and Under 19,” Hunte said. “We continue, with increasing intensity, the WICB development programme as we ensure that every phase in a cricketer’s life he has meaningful competition which will cause greater levels of preparation, training and development.”

 

 

The WICB already has in place the flagship Under-19 tournament which has served as the major conduit for players into the West Indies Youth team and ultimately, the senior West Indies squad. There is also a WICB Under-15 tournament scheduled for next month in Trinidad and an annual Under-13 championship in St Kitts which is supported but not hosted by the WICB.

“This Under 17 Tournament now completes a full package of youth development tournaments which we believe will result in better quality cricketers and better quality cricket at all levels,” Hunte added. Traditional sides Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and Windward Islands will battle for the title.