– Montserrat Cricket Association and Ministry of Sport Pleased with Outcome
Brades, Montserrat – The West Indies Cricket Board and long standing partner Scotiabank hosted a Kiddy Cricket Workshop for PE Teachers and Volunteers in Montserrat on Sunday 6th November 2011, with former West Indies fast bowler Kenny Benjamin leading the one day event.
Montserrat, like many other territories over the months of September and November, benefited for a one day workshop which was focused on training PE Teachers and Volunteers the fundamentals of coaching cricket at the primary school and recreational levels. The workshop took the form of theoretical training which reinforcing the concepts of how to retain our youth in game and promotion of positive feedback in the development of cricketing skills, in addition to practical training sessions where participant learned the foundation skills of how to coach batting, bowling, fielding and wicket keeping.
Benjamin said, “It is critical for the continuation of programmes such as Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket, since it ensures that resources and opportunities are given to primary school children in order for them to experience, play and develop a love for the game of cricket. With that said, it is concurrently important that we spend time on training and equipping our facilitators with the knowledge and skills to coach the game at this level, ensuring that our children are guided properly and correctly on how to develop and play the game while still maintaining the fun factor.”
President of the Montserrat Cricket Association, Mr. Gregory Willock commented on the workshop’s success by saying, “The Montserrat Cricket Association is very pleased to host the Kiddy Cricket Facilitators Workshop and thanks the WICB and Scotiabank for their ongoing commitment towards development programmes such as this one. Kenny Benjamin did a great job at facilitating the workshop, bringing a wealth of knowledge and practical experience in both the classroom and practical sessions. The representative from the four primary schools, our community coaches and government sports department representatives attending the workshop showed great interest and have benefited greatly from the workshop.
“The WICB & Scotiabank’s Kiddy Cricket initiative is essential to the development of youth cricket, complementing the Grassroots Programme which has been implemented in Montserrat over the past 6 months, as the stepping stone programme for all development,” Willock added.
Special thanks and appreciation was extended by the MCA to the Ministry of Sport and Ministry of Education for their support and aid in hosting the workshop and also commitment to the development of cricket in Montserrat. A Kiddy Cricket Festival will also be hosted in Montserrat later in the year for participating primary schools on the island.