NAGICO-LICA Cricket One Day Tournament
Nevis Cricket Association President Commends NAGICO's Efforts.
By Rawle Nelson
In Photo seated left to right: NAGICO's Marketing Manager, Jasmine Payne; NAGICO's Managing Director, Mr. Eric Ellis; President of LICA, Mr. Gregory Shillingford and President of the St. Kitts Cricket Association, Mr. Ingleton Liburd.
President of the Nevis Cricket Association, Oscar Walters has expressed gratitude and thanks to NAGICO Insurances for its support and injection of funds to the Leeward Islands Cricket Competition. Walters said that the assistance which has been channeled through LICA has seen a number of positive growth and development in cricket.
"NAGICO needs to be commended as while LICA has been experiencing difficulties in garnering funding and support so as to execute their activities NAGICO has stand out and should be counted for what they have and continues to do," Walters said.
NAGICO pumped $100,000.00 Eastern Caribbean into this year's competition which culminated a six year sponsorship deal which began in 2003. However, at a Press Conference to launch this year's competition, President of LICA, Gregory Shillingford announced that discussions have already commenced to see how and in what way NAGICO can continue its support to the one day competition.
He also expressed confidence that the support by NAGICO and the excellent work of LICA in keeping young aspiring West Indies cricket hopefuls busy through the staging of its annual three and one day competitions.
Walters also floated the idea of NAGICO supporting LICA with funding so as to provide training opportunities for their coaches. "To improve the sport we need to focus also on training of coaches as they are the ones that are responsible in taking their respective islands to another level," he said.
Walters made a passionate appeal to other corporate companies to emulate the actions of NAGICO in supporting the development of cricket in the Leeward Islands. "What companies has to understand is we will not be able to assist the guys in developing their cricketing skills and there is also a lot of talk about addressing the increasing crime wave in the region and with an avenue for the young men to utilize their skills and ability it will assist greatly in curbing the many problems that we are faced with," Walters said.
He also made a call for LICA to increase its campaign in garnering financial support for the association noting that the region and more directly the Leeward Islands is still a cricket loving region.
"What I am hoping to see is that in next year's competition that LICA can announce that they would have gotten two or three mote companies that would have come on board to lend their support because development will only come through opportunities and for opportunities to be created there must be corporate sponsorship so as to create and provide the required opportunities for the players.
Walters expressed disappointment with his team's exist from this year's semifinal after their seventh round match was abandoned because of rain thus giving Montserrat the one point needed to book the last semifinal spot. "I am disappointed that Nevis failed to advance as I am confident that we could have won this year's competition.
Anyhow that is the game of cricket and like anything else it's regarded as the game of glorious uncertainty and we will just have to regroup and come out next year doing better" .
The four qualifying teams' wing out tomorrow for St Maarten where Antigua will play against Montserrat in the first semifinal on Friday while defending champions defending St Kitts faces Anguilla on Saturday while the finals will be played on Sunday.