Now one for Under-16 cricketers

With the tremendous success of three Under 13 cricket competitions, Inspire Sports has joined with Fortress of Barbados and Windies legend Desmond Haynes to make the next step in staging an Under-16 competition, which bowled off with eight teams yesterday.
The Desmond Haynes 35 Overs Cricket Competition, which is sponsored by Inspire Sports and Fortress of Barbados, has attracted two zones of teams with Zone A containing  Carlton, Pickwick, Bristol and Wanderers.  
Passage Road, who have won all three of the Under-13 tournaments, are in Zone B along with Banks, YMPC and Isolation Juniors.
Passage will be looking to the likes of Akila Greenidge, who will be on holiday from Dulwich College in England, and Carlos Maynard,  both of whom had scored centuries in the Under-13 editions to maintain their success.  
Barbados junior captain Lee Germon Gaskin of Carlton and a host of graduated stars in Wanderers, Isolation and YMPC should make the tournament an exciting and open affair.
The semi-finals will be staged on April 25 while the finals will be played on May 1.
In addition to the sponsorship of equipment, Inspire will provide a higher grade of ball for the semis and finals.
Haynes, at the launch of the tournament at Carlton Ground which also bears his name, as he launched an illustrious career from there, indicated that during the tournament Sir Garfield Sobers was expected to give a talk to the players.  
A select team will be chosen for special coaching after the competition.
Rene Delmas of Fortress indicated that their goal was to focus on the youth to try to get West Indies cricket back to the top, while Graham Walker of Inspire Sports said that it was only natural for his company to maintain its relationship with the cricketing youth in Barbados whom he described as having cricketing DNA.
Haynes pointed out that there was pressure on club life with too many aged players keeping the clubs afloat.  He explained the more structured junior programmes involving the clubs would make the clubs stronger and better.
He indicated that during the competition emphasis would be placed on the captains in an attempt to develop more leaders for West Indies cricket.
Haynes concluded that they were attempting to bridge that gap in Barbados’ cricket where too much talent got lost after promising primary school performances.