The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (T&TCB) has extended its collective congratulations to the national Under-15 cricketers who on Friday clinched the regional championships in Jamaica.T&T, which last won the tournament in 2010, defeated homesters Jamaica on the final day of their match at the Manchester High School in a thrilling finish to win the title.The T&TCB said yesterday in a media release that it was very proud of the efforts of the young cricketers who at their tender age are giving clear indications that the future holds great promise for them.
Leading off the praises for the historic achievement was president of the T&TCB Azim Bassarath who said on Saturday that the cricketers lived up to expectation against their regional counterparts and that the qualities they showed is positive proof that they have been benefitting from the T&TCB development programmes."We are pleased with the latest success of one of T&T's national cricket teams in regional competitions which is an indication that the foundation is being solidly laid for domination during the coming years," Bassarath said.However he was quick to point out that during the celebrations one must not forget or discount the roles played by the cricket board and its sponsors especially BGTT who for the past 17 years have financially supported their annual age group competitions.
The young cricketers are channeled on to the stage to show their potential by the dedicated coaches and managers, schools, clubs, parents and guardians and the supportive communities they come from.Complementing the T&TCB's programmes and the technical staff groomed and selected for their ability to mentor and guide the youngsters, tribute was also paid to the responsible corporate groups that organise competitions for the youngsters including Atlantic (primary schools), PowerGen (secondary schools) and the National Gas Company for their involvement in community coaching programmes.
The synergy produced by the different forces brought together by the T&TCB is producing not only world class athletes but as the success of the Under-13s show, the future of the local game is adequately being looked after by the development programmes.The T&TCB feels that their model which has projected T&T cricket on the world stage through its top players is unparalled in the region specifically in cricket and can only be compared with the athletic success in track and field and netball of the Jamaicans.The T&TCB's aim is to further consolidate their success on the regional stage and plan an extended period of domination that will further cement T&T's cricket legacy for generations to come.