Caribbean Times 55th Issue - Wednesday 20th July 2016

Wednesday 20th July 2016 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 19
Coach of Leeward Islands U-17 holds
back no punches on administrators
By Vanroy Burnes
Former West Indies
fast bowler and Coach of
the Leeward Islands U-17
Cricket team Winston
Benjamin held no punches
on the administrators of
‘sub-region cricket.
On his return from Trinidad
& Tobago for the West
Indies Cricket Board U-17
regional tournament in
which the Leeward Islands
ended in the cellar position,
Benjamin chastised
the Leeward Islands Board
and Selectors for the team’s
poor showing in the tournament.
Speaking on the radio
sport show Good Morning
JoJo on Tuesday morning,
Benjamin said, the lack
of preparation along with
poor team selection were
the main causes, four days
is not enough to prepare
any team for a tournament,
what result can you expect
when other teams are better
prepared?
Benjamin said to add
salt to injury, the chairman
By Carlena Knight
The under 17 Bennaboys boys lost their
first game in Group 4 of the Under 17 CFU
World Cup qualifiers after falling to Jamaica,
3-1 on Sunday.
After defeating the USVI in their opening
match, team Antigua Barbuda have found
themselves in a must win scenario versus
Guyana in their final group match to advance
of selectors Hamish Anthony
don’t even know the
players selected, because
there are players selected
who have not been even
playing any cricket for a
while.
This he said is a laughable
situation, it looks like
when you are selected, you
play until your time is up,
and this cannot be right.
The outspoken Benjamin
said the Leeward Islands
Cricket Board seems
very much satisfied with
the performance of all the
Leeward Island teams, Senior,
U-17 and U-15, because
the standard of cricket
is very poor and no one
is making any effort to ensure
that it gets better.
He noted that the players
Coaches and Managers
are always the ones getting
the blame for the poor results
because not even the
players understand their
role and they were under
pressure every game.
Even the Captain had
given up during the tournament,
and as Coach you
can do that much and no
more.
He also noted that it
maybe his last job as Coach
for Leeward Islands Cricket
because people get offended
when you speak out.
He said in spite as Coach
and try to work along with
them, the situation is no
better, the former Cricket,
said the time has come for
serious consideration be
given to the structure of the
Leeward Islands Cricket.
The former Windies
pacer also took a swipe at
the Government and the
West Indies Cricket Board.
According to him, the
time has come for Government
to ensure that the
West Indies Cricket Board
who’s Head Office is here
in Antigua contributed
more to the development of
Leeward Islands Cricket,
because they are not doing
enough.
He also took a swipe
at certain members of the
Leeward Islands Board
Young Bennaboys fall to Jamaica
on to the next stage.
Jamaica outplayed the Bennaboys
throughout the entire game with the three
goals coming from Jeremy Verley (14 th ), Kaheem
Parris (37 th ) and Raewin Senior (88 th )
giving team Wadadli no chance of a come
back.
The lone goal came from D’Jarie Sheppard
in the 84 th minute.
Former West Indies fast bowler
and Coach of the Leeward
Islands U-17 Cricket team
Winston Benjamin
who are getting paid for
doing nothing.
Benjamin noted that if
West Indies and moreso
Leeward Islands Cricket
is to improve, there must
be a different mindset and
people must be prepared to
work, he noted that he was
chastised before for making
statements about Leeward
Islands Cricket and
even Kenneth Benjamin
when he was TDO of the
Leeward Islands Cricket
was accused of not doing
anything.
However, Benjamin said
there were still some things
positive that comes out of
the tournament for some
of the youngsters whom he
identified by name. The
Leeward Islands did not
win a single game in the
tournament and ended at
bottom of the six teams
standings.