Coaches: Cancellation of schoolboy football season will cause uncertainty
WHILE NOT surprised at the cancellation of the 2020 schoolboy football season, head coaches Ludlow Bernard (Kingston College) and Christopher Bender (Camperdown High) believe that its absence will cause uncertainty for final-year students who were hoping to be able to showcase their talents for overseas colleges.
The Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) announced on Monday the cancellation of school sports for the upcoming Christmas term. The decision was made because of the delay in the phased reopening of schools following a surge in coronavirus cases in the island.
Bernard, who helped Kingston College capture the 2019 ISSA Champions Cup, said that while the majority of his young squad are already looking forward to next year, the cancellation will affect final-year students who were hoping to use the season to earn college scholarships.
“There are guys that would have been looking forward to playing in their final year with the intention of getting some exposure that would enhance their chances of getting overseas opportunities in schools,” he said. With those chances now limited, Bernard said it’s possible that he may reach out to local institutions to find out if they would be willing to accept players under the current circumstances. Bender said that he had a maximum of six players who would be entering their final year and lamented that they would not be able to showcase their skills.
WEST INDIES Women team captain Stafanie Taylor says she is eagerly anticipating the upcoming T20 tour of England, which bowls off on September 21.
Taylor was named along with 17 other players for the series, which involves five T20 Internationals against England Women from September 21 to 30 at the Incora County Ground in Derby.
The tour is welcome news to the players, who last tasted action on March 1 of this year, when they were beaten by none other than England in a Group ‘B’ encounter at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
“It’s disappointing that the season cannot go on because it’s an avenue to get scholarships,” Bender said. “I’m a little disappointed in that part, but first of all, the health of the student athletes must come first.”
FOCUS IS ON ACADEMICS
For Taylor, the series is of tremendous importance for the resumption of women’s cricket internationally.
SPARK IN INTEREST
“It is vital that we get back on the park because coming off the success that was the T20I World Cup, where over 80,000 people packed the stadium and millions were watching the broadcast, we have to capitalise on that to grow women’s cricket. There’s been a spark in interest, so this series between two ICC-ranked teams will help get that focus back on women’s cricket,” said Taylor.
Kaysia Schultz is the only uncapped player named in the Andre Coley-coached squad. Coley will have Esuan Crandon and Corey
Collymore as assistants. Fourteen players of the touring party were part of the West Indies Women squad that participated at the World Cup in Australia earlier this year.
Taylor, who has not had any action for the past couple of months, says she is in fairly good physical fitness and that it’s just a matter of getting out on the park and getting in some match practice.
“My fitness is good. Where my form is concerned, I haven’t played any competitive cricket since March, but I have belief in my game,” she said.
The touring party, who will all be tested for COVID-19 this week, are scheduled to fly to England on a private charter on August 30.