Central Trinidad’s largest vacation cricket camp rolled out at the Invaders Recreation Ground, Maha Sabha Street, Felicity, Chaguanas, yesterday morning.
Richard Ramkisoon, the owner and president of the Central Sports Cricket Club, the 2024 two-time champion team told Guardian Media Sports that the camp started three years ago in collaboration with Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally. He said, “This was done so that we could bring something back after Covid-19 to the youngsters within the community and the environs. In 2022 we started, we had 200 kids, in 2023 we had 175 and this year we have over 250 kids registered. I don’t want to boast but it’s the largest grassroots development programme in the country.” Ramkissoon said the camp would run every Sunday until August 25. He said, “We want the kids to fall back in love with cricket. We expect to see the youngsters show their skills, join clubs, and play in the Under-13, Under-15, Under-17, Under -19 and maybe graduate into our senior team.”
He said coming out of the 2022 and 2023 camps, a girl’s team was registered with the T&T Women’s Cricket Association “That is a big plus for us, we are the only club in T&T that has a girl’s team that came through our development programme and I am so excited that the girls competed and qualified to play on the T-20 finals”
Ramkisson said the club has partnered with Evolution Fitness, a gym that has an indoor facility, that the club plans to use in the advent of rain severely affecting the camp.
Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally said Central Sports Cricket Club is excelling at all levels. He said, “This programme is the biggest cricket session that children can sign on to.”
Rambally said the crooked camp assists with the development of well-rounded youths. He said based on preliminary results the top performing student in the 2024 SEA exams attended the 2023 cricket camp. Rambally said the child attended the Felicity SDMS Hindu School.