President of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Ricky Skerritt will share his plans for getting better results on the field of play from the region’s cricketers, when he delivers this year’s annual Frank Worrell Memorial Lecture.
He will address the topic ‘Reforming Cricket West Indies for Improved On-field Results’ and will engage sport fans in a live question and answer session afterwards.
The 20th annual lecture will be hosted by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus through its Faculty of Sport, in partnership with CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank.
It will be carried live on UWItv’s cable channel on Flow EVO, and streamed on its website www.uwitv.org on Monday from 8.30pm Antigua time.
Skerritt, who previously served as manager of the West Indies cricket team, was elected CWI president in March 2019. On assuming office, he pledged to work towards the redevelopment of the regional game.
Aside from being a cricket administrator, Skerritt was also a former minister in the St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party government.
Speaking ahead of Monday’s event, he said, “Being invited by the UWI Faculty of Sport to speak at such a prestigious event is an honour for me. I look forward to sharing some thoughts on the ongoing reform of Cricket West Indies and the way forward.”
Debra King, Director of Corporate Communications at CIBC FirstCaribbean, sponsors of the lecture, said the bank was very pleased to join UWI in hosting its 20th edition.
“Sir Frank’s story by any measure is an inspirational one and we are delighted to be long-time sponsors of this distinguished event which seeks to celebrate his life and honour his memory,” she said.
Dean of the UWI Faculty of Sport, Dr Akshai Mansingh, highlighted the significance of the occasion.
“This is the first time this lecture is being delivered since the advent of the Faculty of Sport, and for us to have an event associated with the name of Sir Frank is humbling. To have President Skerritt deliver this address is a privilege,” he said.
Other notable guest speakers in the history of the Frank Worrell Memorial Lecture series include a number of Skerritt’s predecessor presidents of the regional cricket board, including UWI Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles; former British Prime Minister John Major; cricket legends Sir Wes Hall and Michael Holding; former Prime Minister of Jamaica PJ Patterson; and current Prime Ministers Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dr Keith Mitchell of Grenada.
The late Sir Frank Worrell joined the UWI staff as warden of the Irvine Hall of the Mona Campus following his retirement from Test cricket in 1963. He also served as Director of Sports at UWI Mona and St Augustine campuses, where he nurtured and mentored students. Additionally, he was one of the pioneers of the development of cricket at the Mona Campus.