Since 2022 when he took over as principal of St Alban’s Primary School at Stanmore, close to Malvern, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Andre James has dreamt of reviving a long-dormant cricket programme.
He was hindered by various hurdles, including the collapse of a primary school cricket league once sponsored by the mothballed bauxite/alumina company, Jisco Alpart.
The absence of formal cricket gear also made it difficult despite the enviable advantage of a well preserved, though aging concrete pitch, at the centre of a spacious playfield.
To satisfy their appetite for cricket, a few hardy boys shaped bats from pieces of board to play “ketchy shubby” or “bowl fi bat”, using tennis balls, during recess and lunch time.
All that changed for James and St Alban’s last November when the highly respected cricket coach, Junior Bennett, arrived with child-appropriate cricket gear, including junior bats, pads, gloves, a few soft cricket balls, and “lots” of tennis balls.
The gift came as part of a fledgling partnership initiative to encourage cricket in Jamaican primary schools. Among the partners are Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), the State-run Institute of Sport (INSPORT), Sports Development Foundation (SDF), as well as private donors.
Read more at Jamaica Observer
Full Story
