Dozens of enthusiastic young cricketers turned out at Mindoo Phillip Park recently for a training session and the opportunity to rub shoulders with past and present Windward Islands and West Indies players.
It was business as usual, except that all of the 60-plus players were young women, the first intake of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Saint Lucia National Cricket Association (SLNCA) Under-17 Grassroots Hub Festival, which aims to increase the pool of female cricketers.
Among the cricketing role models present were West Indies senior allrounder Nerissa Crafton, Under-19 pacer Selena Ross, Windward Islands player Namiah Marcellin and former West Indies fast bowler Philipa Thomas-Eudovic. The girls eagerly lined up for photos and inspiration from the women who’ve paved the way.
Guiding the on-field drills was coach Alton Crafton, supported by Maland Monrose and Wade Clovis, alongside current and former players, including Larry Edward, Jamaal James, and Stephen Naitram. Several physical education teachers also lent their expertise, all under the leadership of SLNCA third vice-president for women’s cricket, Roseline Preville.
“We had ladies from schools around the island,” Preville said, mentioning Anse Ger, St Joseph’s Convent, Leon Hess Comprehensive, Castries, Stanley Jon Odlum Secondary and Patricia D. James Secondary.
“We actually had a lot more ladies who were supposed to be part of this exercise. Due to unforeseen circumstances, some of them were not able to join us. However, we will be putting together groups around the island. So, we will have cluster coaches in various parts of the island where the young ladies will be joining them to get their training sessions done every week.”
In a release following the one-off session, the SLNCA said that it was excited to further enhance cricket programmes within schools by introducing a foundation cricket coaching course for Physical Education (PE) teachers in the near future. This initiative, they pointed out, is designed to equip educators with the skills and knowledge necessary to promote and develop cricket among students, fostering a stronger cricket culture throughout Saint Lucia.
“Going forward, from here on, we are looking to have competitions starting from the schools,” Preville added. “We have already started the grassroots Under-13 tournament, and we have a number of young ladies participating in this tournament. The next age group would be the Under-19s. Hopefully, we will be going into the schools and having schoolgirl cricket as part of the calendar, or as part of the curriculum, for next year.
“We see there’s a need for women’s cricket all around the globe,” she continued, speaking to the growth in women’s franchise leagues. “Especially in the West Indies, we have many opportunities out there for the young ladies. And we’re hoping that in time to come, or maybe within the not-too-distant future, we will be able to host our core of ladies.”
With the SLNCA moving steadily to ensure more scope for the growth of girls’ and women’s cricket, players like Ross, Marcellin and Crafton say they are motivated to work even harder.
“It’s really good to see something like this going on,” offered Crafton. “I wish they had stuff like this when I was going to school. But it’s encouraging. Some of these girls, you can see that they have to put in a lot of work, still. Once they put in the effort, they can make it. You can see they really want to play the sport.”
