Young Antiguan Leads Leeward Islands Women

Antigua & Barbuda’s Shawnisha Hector has been named captain of the Leeward Islands women’s cricket team, while six other national players have been included in the 14-member squad for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Women’s Tournament starting this month in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The 17-year-old Hector is joined by Amanda Edwards, Eldora Sylvester, Jenisen Richards, Terez Parker, Grace Persaud and Sherma Jackson all of Antigua & Barbuda.
The other members of the team are Vice Captain Sanledo Willet of Nevis, Kiaye-Ann Hanley Jasmine Clarke, Tynetta McKoy, and Elisa Claxton of St Kitts, Dawn Marie Armstrong of Barbados, and Rozel Liburd of Nevis.
Hector said she is looking forward to the challenge and putting into effect what she had learnt at a recent West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) camp for the senior women’s team.
“It’s not too much of a weight because after being picked for the training camp by the West Indies, I think I would be a great example in terms of motivating the team. It [West Indies camp] has shown me my weaknesses and the way in terms of what I have to work on if I want to be a better player and believe in myself that I can do it,” she said.
Cricket Operations Manager for the Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB) Vernon Springer said the team’s preparation for the tournament will be amplified starting this week.
“We start training tomorrow [Tuesday] at the Stanford Ground [Coolidge Cricket Ground]. We have a couple of reserve players and a number of coaches will be coming out to assist us. I want to thank Ridley Jacobs, the women’s coach for Antigua & Barbuda, who greatly assisted us in the trial games and coach [Leon] Rodney will also perform coaching duties and will come out along with Earl Waldron. We will still have a coaching session with Percy Daniel starting from 9 am tomorrow,” he said. 
The team will be coached by Daniel and managed by Kattian Edwards-Baltimore.
The tournament is slated to run from April 16 to May 1 in St Vincent and the Grenadines.