St John’s, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board and Digicel will collaborate to host a series of action-packed Grassroots Cricket Fun Day across the region this weekend.
Forty-five matches will be played by the Digicel Grassroots Cricketers in 11 territories across the region on Saturday December 15th and Sunday December 16th. Matches will also be played on Monday December 17th in the British Virgin Islands and December 22nd in Jamaica.
Over 2000 Grassroots Cricketers are expected to compete during the fun filled matches, displaying their skills and talents to coaches, family and fans.
Digicel Group Director of Marketing Operations, Kieran Foley, said: "Digicel is committed to the development of cricket – not just at the top level but also at grassroots which is integral to the ongoing success of the sport. The Digicel/WICB Grassroots Programme gives aspiring young cricketers the opportunity not only to develop their skills and ability, but also to learn the critical attributes required to become a successful cricketer. The Grassroots Cricket Fun Day gives young players valuable experience in a real life match setting and encourages the community to come out and support the young players – while enjoying a day filled with fun, excitement and a good game of cricket."
WICB Project Officer for Grassroots Cricket, Fawwaz Baksh commented: "Grassroots Cricket has helped to revitalize interest in cricket at the youth level in a significant way. The programme provides free gear and expert coaching from WICB certified coaches on a weekly basis. The young players are extremely excited to participate in the programme as it gives them an opportunity to both compete and learn in a fun and exciting environment."
"The young cricketers are extremely excited about participating in the Fun Day this weekend and we expect them to thoroughly enjoy the activities while providing entertainment and fun for the fans who will come out to be part of the action," Baksh added.
The Grassroots programme has achieved some major successes, most notably being that a significant number of the national team players who participate in the WICB Regional Under 15 and Under 17 Tournaments have come through the Programme. In the near future we expect that all the national players at the youth level will come through the Grassroots Cricket Programme," Baksh outlined.
WICB Digicel Grassroots Cricket commenced in 2010 and caters to young cricketers between the ages of 12 and 17 years. The programme is split into two sections – the 12 to Under-15 year old section and the 15 to 17 year old section.
Digicel Grassroots Cricket is run throughout the region on a weekly basis with the young cricketers receiving free gear and expert coaching from WICB certified coaches.