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27th
July 2010
St. Lucia’s
success spurs Sandals Cricket Academy in Antigua
On
the heels of ten successful years of the Sandals
cricket academy in St. Lucia, the Sandals Foundation
was inspired to launch another development program
in sister island Antigua and Barbuda earlier
this week at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
While three of the island’s biggest cricket
names looked on, the foundation announced a
partnership with the twin-island state’s
Ministry of Sport, in a historic bid to revive
the game. Curtly Ambrose, Ridley Jacobs and
Kenneth Benjamin are three of the great Antiguans
who will be participating in the program aimed
at producing Antigua’s next generation
of great cricketers.
Kenney Benjamin who has played some twenty-six
test matches for the West Indies team believes
the academy is one of the best things that has
happened to Antiguan cricket in a very long
time. “We have never seen the best of
the under-15 cricketers gather in such large
numbers, and in such a big way for intense two
week training. So I believe that this is something
tremendous that a bright future can be built
upon,” adds Benjamin.
Regional Director for Sandals Resorts in the
Eastern Caribbean Jeremy Jones says that he
hopes that the academy will produce championship
teams as it has in St. Lucia. “Our experience
in St. Lucia is one we are very proud of and
it is really the motivation for spreading the
program to Antigua. |
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It really has become the premier cricket development
program in St. Lucia and we are starting to
see the fruits of our investments with recent
victories by the national under-19 and under
15 teams,” says Jones.
The 29 boys who are from various secondary
schools on the island also heard from Mervyn
Richards, the twin island state’s Director
of Sport who challenged them to make Antigua
and Barbuda proud. “A number of you
in this room make up the future of Antigua,
Leeward Island and West Indies Cricket,”
laments Richards.
In very poetic style, Junior Minister of Sport,
Honourable Senator Winston Williams expressed
gratitude to Sandals for its partnership with
his Ministry and implored the organization
to a commitment that is sustainable. “I
am sure you will agree that for us to really
make a dent, we have to do this more than
one year,” explained the Antiguan Senator.
As various speakers poked fun at the current
state of West Indies cricket, and three of
Antigua’s biggest cricket names reminisced
the glory days, the overriding emotion was
that a platform was being launched for tangible
change in the fortunes of a once mighty West
Indies team.
Discuss
Story
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