Cricket Administrator Report

Good morning to everyone in attendance – members of the head table, Corporal Derrick Sharbodie of the TTPS, Brian Lewis, President of the Harvard Club, members of the cricket clinic, parents, coaches, supporters, and friends of the clinic.

As we gather here today to mark the end of another cricket season, I want to begin by expressing my heartfelt thanks to all of you. This has been a year of significant milestones and deep reflection, and I am proud of how far we’ve come together as a community.

To the coaching staff of each net, a sincere thank you must go to each and every one of you. Your continued commitment, perseverance and dedication makes the experience of all the players worthwhile and is second to none in the sphere of youth coaching. It must again be recognized that all coaches at the Harvard Club Cricket Clinic volunteer their time. It is a testament to their love for what they do at the clinic in the development of young talent. However, in today’s market, this provides a challenge in attracting new coaches to the panel to supplement the ageing personnel at hand.

A heartfelt thank you must also go to the parents, guardians and well-wishers who chose our programme to introduce their children to the game of cricket. They also frequented the sessions throughout the season and provided much needed support and assistance to the children present as well as the clinic when required. Please continue to encourage and support your children as well as partner with us in developing them. A strong team between child, parent and coach will always auger well in shaping our charges into the outstanding young adults we would like them to be.

With respect to the direct operations, sessions were held on Sunday mornings during the customary period of January to June. Due to restorative works executed on the run up area of the nets, activities for the older groups were relocated to the QRC Nets for the first two months of the programme. The timing of the works was not ideal but was necessary to produce a running surface, safe for use, by the children involved. The youngest group remained at the club’s basketball court.

As a testimony to the efforts of this clinic which comprises the team of coach, student and parent/guardian support, we would like to recognize those participants who would have been selected to their representative teams over the course of the season. There were selections in the main squad as follows:

North Zone U-19

Israel Belle

North Zone U-17

Ruffano Stewart
Ethan John

North Zone U-15

Kemuel Yard

North Zone U-13

Rahul Degapati

Tobago Tournament Team Photo

Back Row: Fitzroy George, Robin Ramdeen, Mark Mason, Andre Yarde, Crusoe Thom, Carlton Harris Middle Row: Dillon Mohammed, Ricardo Christian, Rufano Stewart, Darion Bridglal, Johnathan Williams, Kylon Dudley Sitting: Dominic Redhead (V. Capt.) Kemuel Yard, Daunté Redhead, Ehron John, Rahul Degapati, Jabir Vincent, Ethan John (Capt.)

One significant event for the Harvard Cricket Clinic this year was the invitation to participate in an inaugural U-16 Cricket Tournament in Tobago. The tournament, featured three teams the UK, one team from Barbados and four teams from Trinidad & Tobago inclusive of the our clinic team. This provided an opportunity for the players to experience a level of competition they would not normally have been exposed to locally. It was a truly unforgettable experience had by all involved. It was not only about on field activities, as members of our team interacted with players from other cultures and two players even got the chance to race goats at Bucco!. An experience they will never forget. The level of discipline, teamwork and resilience displayed throughout that competition was truly commendable. Facing stiff competition from international as well as regional and local teams, our boys showed improvement over the course of the tournament. While we did not walk away with any trophies, we came away with something more valuable – experience, comradery and the belief that with additional work we would belong with the top youth cricket programmes in the region.

I would like to sincerely thank National Flour Mills, parents (those who travelled as well as those supporting from home) and well wishers for all the donations and the various forms of assistance that made this trip possible.

At this time, I would like to touch on a few highlights for each net:

Net 4

This group is generally comprised of the youngest participants starting from 5yrs old and is used to introduce children to the game. The head coach is Mark Mason and he was assisted by Fitzroy George and Christopher Scipio (who joined us for the first time). The sessions were held on the Basketball Court of the club as well as the training strip at QRC grounds for the last couple sessions.

The sessions started with introductory methods to the basics of the game. This involved novel games and drills that eventually fed into the basics of batting, bowling and fielding.

The season started brightly with the students showing high levels of enthusiasm and most of them responded well to what was taught. During the latter half of the season, internal game situations were conducted to allow them to apply the skills. All participants did display a sense of enjoyment during the sessions, especially during the mini-skill competitions that were conducted. It was certainly a joy to watch the improvements in the participants over the course of the season.

It is to be noted that we did have six girls enrolled this year who showed a great level of enthusiasm and interest in what was being taught.

At this time, I would like to thank the parents for the support you gave to us in Net 4 throughout the season.

Net 3

This group mainly comprised participants ages 8-12 with head coach Carlton Harris. Coaching sessions were held at the Harvard Club Nets throughout the season.

The early sessions included reinforcement of the basics of batting, bowling and fielding. Sessions also included aspects such as the Laws of the game, Field Placements and umpiring signals.

This group, however, had the most significant drop in enrollment and as such were not able to play external games.

Net 1/ Net 2

This group generally comprised participants ages 12-18. This group was under the guidance of senior coaches Ken Franco, Lester Cassimy and Amral Mohammed. They were ably and consistently assisted by Crusoe Thom and as well as Brian Hall on a part time basis.

When the opportunity to participate in the U-17 tournament came about, additional sessions during the week were added in the month leading up to the first game. These sessions were conducted by Carlton Harris, Robin Ramdeen and Andre Yard along with assistance from Amando Phillips of the Harvard Senior Team

This combination presented the opportunity to work with participants that had a wide range in terms of experience and skill level. The coaches adjusted the programme accordingly and did an admirable job in disseminating the applicable information.

The process of the programme was still maintained, with the basics of batting, bowling, fielding and tactics reinforced during the first two months of the season. There were limited opportunities to conduct outfield and game simulations and this eventually told in the results at the tournament in Tobago

During the tournament the clinic was scheduled to play seven T20 games and three 50-over games. Due to significant challenges with the weather many of the games had to be reduced and the competition re-worked to get as much playing time as possible.

The results did not go as well as all of us would have planned for, as the team was not able to be victorious in any of the games. However, there was significant improvement in the performances as the tour progressed. This was noted by the coach of one of the UK teams. It was evident to him that the team he played against at the start of the competition vs the team at the end was significantly improved. Some notable contributions on the tour included Rufano Stewart with the most runs and Dominic Redhead with the most wickets.

With the learnings from this tour, it is the intention of the clinic management to keep the group together and playing more cricket with a view to helping the unit gel together for the 2026 season.

In conclusion, I would like to encourage the graduates of this 2025 clinic to continue to keep yourselves fit and practice your skills throughout the rest of the year. This experience is but another building block in your life, not only on the many cricket fields around the country but off the field in society.