Former Trinidad and Tobago Under-15 MVP Nyron Motilal headlines a list of 16 Under-17 cricketers who will travel to Guyana on a development tour from August 8-19.
The trip to Guyana will replace T&T’s usual trek to Barbados for the annual Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools Tournament, which they have won for the last three seasons.
Lalman Kowlessar, second vice-president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, explained that the Board wanted a greater challenge for the team which has been hard to beat in the Sir Garfield tournament.
He said: “A representative Under-17 from Trinidad and Tobago up against schools…I am sure we had an unfair advantage over the schools. It is a school competition and we are a national team.”
Kowlessar expects the Under-17s to have some competitive matches in Guyana against different county teams but insisted that a regional under-17 tournament is necessary to plug the gap between the under-15 and under-19 level.
Former Under-15 players Chris Mohammed, Adrian Cooper, Sheehan Bryn, Stephan Wharwood and Anthony Simmons are also on the list and will bring experience to the line-up.
Isaiah Rajah is another in the line-up after having a prosperous season with Hillview College and the East Zone in the BG T&T InterZone tournament.
Rajah, son of former T&T cricketer Aneil Rajah, scored 140 for the East during the InterZone Under-19 tournament and was also one of the leading wicket-takers for the zone and for his school Hillview College.
Cooper, younger brother of former T&T Under-19 all-rounder Akeil Cooper, also scored a century for South East in the BG T&T Under-17 tournament earlier this year.
Players and their parents had a briefing on Sunday at the TTCB’s Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre followed by a training session for the team.
T&T U-17 team: Chris Mohammed, Adrian Cooper, Jeron Joseph, Rajiv Maraj, Nyron Motilal, Stefan Gafoor, Isaiah Rajah, Clinton Changar, Stephan Wharwood, Ewart Nicholson, Anthony Simmons, Addrien Daniel, Sheehan Bryne, Brandon Sooklal, Antonio Allen, Darrion Ramdhanie
John Lewis (Manager), Dasrath Maharaj (Coach). (Trinidad Express)