ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Ten clubs across the Caribbean will benefit from WICB Digicel Grassroots Grants amounting to over US$45 000.
Three of the ten clubs are from Barbados, two in Trinidad and one each in Antigua, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica and St Lucia.
The clubs have received grants for a wide variety of cricket development purposes ranging from procurement of cricket gear to development of pitches and outfields and the acquisition of driving mowers.
Over two dozen clubs had applied for grants of up to US$5 000 each for various projects and training programmes as part of the WICB initiative to assist in the development of cricket at the grassroots level.
Following a review ten clubs were selected for the first batch of grants in phase one of the two-year programme. There will be three other application periods for 2011 – 2012.
“We received a large number of impressive applications and while we would wish to be able to offer more grants we are pleased that we will be able to assist ten worthy clubs of developing cricket at the grassroots level in the Caribbean,” said WICB Project Officer for Grassroots Cricket, Fawwaz Baksh.
Randy Nelson, a member of the management committee of St Catherine Cricket Club in Jamaica commented: “We are very excited about this Grassroots Grant.
Our club has been doing a lot of work with youngsters with the three high schools around the area and we will support them with practice. While we have just over 100 registered members the work that we do at St Catherine Cricket Club positively affects several hundred more.”
Allan Ramjass, president of the Orange Field Sports Club in Trinidad said: “The Grassroots funding for the purchase of a driving mower will allow us to ensure that our playing field is properly cut for matches and all the programmes we execute.
“It will say a lot for a small club such as ours which faces many challenges. Not only will our field be properly cut but it will create a positive image for us and it will say that Orange Field Sports Club is a club on the move.”
“I want to extend deepest gratitude to WICB for this grassroots initiative. The ‘grassroots’ name alone says a lot about what the WICB wants to do for cricket. Small clubs lack so much sponsorship, sometimes you think that nobody cares about the work we are doing so this WICB and Digicel initiative is really refreshing because we are working together on using cricket as an avenue for community development.”

Digicel Grassroots Grants Recipients:

Barbados: Isolation Cavaliers – Pitches and cricket gear
Pickwick Cricket Club – Covers, nets, boundary rope, cricket equipment
St Catherine Sports and Social Club – Ground preparation and landfilling
Trinidad: First Citizen Clarke Road United – Cricket gear and coaching
Orange Field Sports Club – Drive Mower
Antigua: Pigotts Sports Club – Cricket gear and drive mower
Dominica: Grand Bay Sports Committee – Covers, door and burglar bars
Guyana: Wakenaam Community Centre Ground – Sightscreen, ground levelling and rolling
Jamaica: St Catherine Cricket Club – Bowling machine, practice balls, training equipment
St Lucia: Choiseul Cricket Coach Programme – Coaches, playing surface, pitch construction and cricket gear.