By Neto Baptiste
A lack of facilities and inadequate financing are two of the major problems plaguing the national female cricket programme here in Antigua.
This is according to President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA), Leon Rodney, who said the body would not be able to carry the cost of running a continuous programme on its own and that the regional governing body, Cricket West Indies (CWI) is already stretched where it pertains to finance.
“When we started the female programme, CWI was the one who provided the funding for that but if you look back a little you’d realise that funding for even the Kiddy’s Cricket also went out the window so it’s something that you know that may not happen because you may ask but you can see clearly what’s happening with funding from that side of the fence,” he said.
Rodney, who said training sessions could start soon, also pointed to the absence of a venue with all the necessary amenities that could be used on a continuous basis for such a programme.
“I think that they’ll get going in the next week or so in terms of practice and hope that things can happen. There are so many things happening and to be honest with you, grounds are kind of a challenge and Factory [Grounds] is dedicated for cricket, but at the same time you can’t be taking the females to Factory because there is no real way to relieve yourself up there,” he said.
The cricket boss highlighted that whereas before, individuals would volunteer their services for similar camps, coaches and other staff are now demanding payment.
“We probably need continuous training sessions but again, and not making any excuses, nothing comes cheap these days. You can’t ask anybody to do anything for free, so it’s something you have to properly sort out to know where the payments are going to come from for the coaches, the water, the Gatorade and facility, because you’re going to need a consistent facility,” he said.
Rodney, who was head coach of the Leeward Islands senior women’s cricket team for the CWI T20 and 50 Overs tournaments in July last year, called for a deeper focus on the development of women’s cricket in the Caribbean. His call came on the heels of dismal showings by the Leewards in both tournaments held in Guyana.
Leeward Islands finished at the bottom of Group B in the CG United Women’s Super50 after losing both of their matches. They also finished at the bottom of the standings in the T20 Blaze without a point, losing all five of their encounters.