GUYANESE-born Laliwa Hadali Corrie has been accepted by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) to become a member of their Centre of Excellence for Outstanding Junior Cricketers.
According to information from the youngster’s father, Damon Corrie, the Pakuri (St Cuthbert’s Mission) born only started to play cricket this year.

“This feat is all the more remarkable because she is only 13 years old, and just three months ago she started cricket practice at Wanderers (private club) as a summer holiday hobby for the very first time in her life. She did so well that she went from absolute novice – to getting invited to join the BCA as a junior member in three months.”

Laliwa Hadali (means Yellow Butterfly Sun) moved to Barbados when she was a few months old, and has been living on the island ever since. She returns home during the August school break every year.

It was during one of her trips home that she fell in love with the game. She admired the Pakuri Women’s Cricket team, since several of her cousins are top players in it.
After her nine-day long puberty ritual (traditional Lokono-Arawak rite of passage) this year, she told her father that one day she would like to play on the Pakuri team.

“So I agreed to send her to a summer Cricket camp in August 2020 in Barbados at the private Wanderers Cricket Club, under the care and guidance of cricket coach Michael Lucas.”
The older Corrie added that his daughter is the first person from her tribe in a national Barbados Cricket Sports Programme.

“Who knows, if she stays focussed and keeps improving – she might get selected for the Barbados National Women’s A-Team in a few years.”
Corrie said that he is also hoping that his daughter would move up to represent the regional side in the game.