WICB, SANDALS FOUNDATION, ST. LUCIA AND ANTIGUA GOVERNMENTS STRIKE NEW PARTNERSHIP Tuesday 9th August 2011
Sandals Foundation has partnered with the West Indies Cricket Board and the Governments of Antigua and St. Lucia to host two High Performance Camps for over 120 elite regional Under 15 cricketers.
The two week camps are part of the WICB Sandals Foundation Under 15 High Performance Programme, and in this the inaugural year, will be hosted in Antigua and St Lucia from August 13th at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds at the Beausejour Cricket Grounds respectively.
Players from the six regional teams along with additional selectees from the host countries will undergo two weeks of intense skills refining facilitated by highly qualified West Indian coaches along with legends of West Indies cricket.
President of the Sandals Foundation Adam Stewart says that the investment by the philanthropic arm of the Sandals Resorts International is in keeping with its commitment toward the development of young people across the Caribbean. Stewart says that cricket has played too vital a role in the evolution of Caribbean society for his organization to miss on an opportunity to advance the game in the region.
“When one thinks of the vast history of cricket and how it has helped to define who we are as Caribbean people, it is almost impossible for the Sandals Foundation not to get involved with developing West Indies Cricket,” Stewart explained.
“The WICB is absolutely delighted to be partnering with Sandals Foundation for this most important developmental initiative which will strengthen West Indies cricket at the very core,” WICB CEO Dr. Ernest Hilaire said.
“This commitment to the development of West Indies cricket by Sandals Foundation demonstrates the foundation’s strong desire to make a positive difference in the Caribbean,” Dr. Hilaire added.
The governments of Antigua and Barbuda and St Lucia will offer critical support for the camps by providing assistance with venues, transportation and accommodation.
Minister of State with responsibility for Sports in Antigua, Senator The Honourable Winston Williams Jr. commented: “The Ministry is pleased to partner with the Sandals Foundation and the West Indies Cricket Board to host the second Cricket Academy in Antigua and Barbuda. Hopefully this programme will have a positive impact on the sport at the national as well as regional levels and we are looking forward to participating actively in the training initiative through the seminar sessions.
Director of Youth and Sports in St Lucia, Victor Reid added the endorsement of his government: “This is an outstanding project and it’s the right way to go. It provides an opportunity for our young people to be recognized by the professionals and legends as future players in West Indies cricket. The opportunity is also presented for our players to measure their own individual talent against that of a broader pool of youngsters, the elite young cricketers of the Caribbean.”
The High Performance Camps will comprise cricket skills development sessions and training and life skills sessions.
The youngsters will be put through their paces in the fundamentals of batting, bowling, fielding.
Off the field they will also be tutored on sportsmanship, the history of West Indies cricket, media relations, healthy lifestyle, mental toughness and game sense among other areas.
The WICB Sandals Foundation Under 15 High Performance Camps are a part of the WICB’s overall strategy of investing heavily in West Indies cricket at the developmental level and follows the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket and Digicel Grassroots Cricket programmes, the Sagicor High Performance Centre and the re-energized West Indies A Team programme.
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