Williams promises youth cricket development in Westmoreland
FORMER Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Director Deltonio Williams has returned to cricket administration as the president of the Westmoreland Cricket Association (WCA).
Williams previously served as president of the association but stepped away to focus on being a contractor and entrepreneur. He says that after spending time away from the sport, he was asked several months ago by his friend and mentor Dixeth Palmer to return to assist the WCA.
“Westmoreland Cricket Association became just Mr Palmer and a few others because some resigned and some are deceased,” Williams told the Jamaica Observer. “I started to come around cricket again because since I left, I hadn’t been to any games or anything to do with cricket. I joined with Mr Palmer mainly because of the pressure he was under, as he had no assistance with cricket and was on the verge of resigning from cricket because of the burden that it had left on him.”
Williams wants more persons who are passionate about cricket involved at the parochial level.
“The people in charge of the cricket need to love it,” he said. “People love cricket but the
WILLIAMS... people love cricket, but the administrators have to come on board and do some real work administrators have to come on board and do some real work and not just advertise ourselves that ‘I’m this and I’m that’.”
Williams says that a key focus of his presidency is the development of cricket at the junior level and is working with a number of schools to develop their infrastructure for the sport. One of the reasons for this, he says, is because there is an absence of schools from the parish in ISSA’S rural area cricket competition, the Headley Cup.
“There are a few schools in the parish that we’re looking to meet with — Frome, Manning’s, and we have Belmont — to get them involved in cricket again,” he said.
He has overseen the installation of a concrete pitch at the Coke’s View Primary School in the parish, of which he is a past student. Williams also had four gardens created at the school for agricultural purposes and for farming education. He says that this is not a one-off project.
“We intend on doing so in all primary schools across the parish, 10 of which have already been approached by my team and I,” Williams said. “We are now embarking on all high schools to help develop cricket with the help of sponsors that have been engaged.”
Williams says that there are now over 20 clubs registered in the parish, many of which exist in lesser accessible areas. He says his aim is to bring more action to these areas, also with concrete pitches.
Being a former member of the JCA’S Women’s Committee, Williams says he will also pay special attention to women’s cricket in the parish. He will be hoping that its profile will be raised with the addition of former West Indies Women’s team Captain Stafanie Taylor to the WCA as its assistant public relations officer.
The WCA says its next high-profile event will be competition on the Heroes’ Day weekend.
“An Over-40 team from New York will be coming to take part,” he said. “Our clubs will be there, and we’ll also be putting on an award ceremony to show appreciation to those who have helped cricket in the parish.”