Jamaica U15 coach impressed despite whitewash

DESPITE LOSING all three games against the Young Genius Cricket Academy out of Florida, coach Raymond Hart says there was a lot to take away from the Jamaica U15 select team’s performance in the series.

Nineteen youngsters ranging from ages 11-14 got some valuable experience during the three-match series which took place at Chedwin Park and Sabina Park.

According to Hart, winning wasn’t the main aim of the series, as the Jamaica Cricket Association has set out to prepare the current crop of U15 cricketers for future tournaments.

“We are looking at two to three years down the road, so what we did was to make sure that all 19 players selected played at least two games to give everyone a chance. We did some things that we would not do normally in a cricket game, just to give the players some exposure and see how they handle certain situations in a competitive game,” said Hart.

Hart said some of the players performed creditably, namely medium pacers Jevon Malcolm from Boys’ Town and Brandon Waugh from Campion College, along with Odane Binns from St Elizabeth who made the highest score for the Jamaicans when he scored 72 in game two at Sabina Park.

Hart also mentioned the batting effort of Jamaica College’s middle-order batsman Savio Jones, who chalked up scores of 47 and 54 not out, along with opening batsman Tyson Gordon, who made 48 in the opening contest at Chedwin Park.

Hart says he hopes to continue working with the youngsters in a bid to put together a formidable team for future youth tournaments.

“The talent is immense and it is just about harnessing and honing these talented youngsters. We have youngsters who are still learning the game, but they have shown that they want to improve and I want to continue to give them the opportunity to thrive in the game.”