Emotions are the key to learning. We do the overwhelming majority of our learning when we are children. By the time we are seven, most of our mental highways are constructed—Clotaire Rapaille
Started in 1965, the Harvard Club Cricket Clinic is now in its 59th year. Sunday morning, the clinic held its 2024 prize-giving function at the Club’s Headquarters at 106 Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain. Sunday’s event capped off a great weekend for the Harvard Club.
The night before (July 6), the Harvard Club and its resident steelband (Harvard Harps) hosted a Panfest that featured St James/ Woodbrook neighbours Shell Invaders, Proman Starlift and Johann Chuckaree with a guest performance by Road Block steel orchestra.
In the audience supporting the first annual Harvard Pan Fest were steelpan luminaries and legends Drs Len Boogsie Sharpe and Ray Holman. It was an awesome evening of celebrating the national instrument. The Harvard Harps, led by their captain Carl Daly and arranger and musical director Hanif Goodridge, rose to the occasion and were not to be outdone.
Sport and culture are part and parcel of the Harvard Club’s “DNA”. But back to the cricket clinic prize giving. Feature speaker was former West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira, the first female cricketer from the Caribbean to become an honorary life member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Born-and-grow in Marac Village, Moruga, Aguilleira attended Marac Baptist Primary and the Moruga Secondary School.
Her address captured the attention of the clinic participants. From the youngest—six years to teenagers—were all ears as Aguilleira shared the story of her journey from “behind God’s back” and closer to Venezuela than “Town” to travelling the world for “free” as a cricketer. She shared that it took perseverance, discipline and dedication to remain committed to her dream. Travelling from Marac to cricket practice, not only was it a long commute, but it also took financial sacrifice from her father—a fisherman and mother a housewife. It is a story that needs to be heard by more young people in our nation.
Aguilleira is a positive role model. Her dignity, class and composure in dealing with adversity and obstacles. Her life and career offer hope that all things are possible with belief.
She created Harvard Club cricket clinic history as clinic administrator Mark Mason admitted that she was the first female to give the feature address at a Harvard cricket clinic prize-giving. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be the last. And it will also inspire and motivate Harvard Club cricket to include female coaches going forward and establish a women’s cricket team.
The requests for pictures that Aguilleira received from the adults and clinic participants were proof positive of the inspirational and motivational impact of her feature address.
Another historic moment occurred at the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) 2017 annual awards when Aguilleira was named as the first-ever recipient of the TTOC “Future is Female” award.
Aguilleira in more ways than one is a pioneer and game changer.
She certainly has done Marac Village, Moruga, and T&T proud.
In these difficult days for the twin-island republic, the youth and young people need positive role models that they can relate to. Mark Mason and his colleagues on the Harvard Club cricket clinic committee’s decision to invite Aguilleira as the first-ever female to give a feature address in the clinic’s 59-year history (long overdue as it may be) was a wise choice as the inspirational Aguilleira was the voice the clinic participants needed to hear.