The conclusion OF the Barbados Royals Girls Cricket Club’s summer camp, held in collaboration with the Barbados Cricket Association, has been hailed as a major milestone in the advancement of women’s cricket in the region.
Dr Sasha Sutherland, chairperson of the club, expressed this sentiment during the graduation ceremony for the four-week camp at the University of the West Indies’ 3Ws Oval.
The event was graced by notable attendees, including West Indies white-ball captain Rovman Powell, former West Indies captain Jason Holder, The Most Honourable Stedson Red Plastic Bag Wiltshire, and Barbados Royals Women’s players Trishan Holder and Aaliyah Alleyne.
Sutherland underscored the camp’s dual focus on fostering cricketing and academic achievement among young girls, with the intention of encouraging them to strive for excellence both on and off the field.
“What better way to activate the CPL tournament and support the Barbados Royals’ bid for victory than by honouring the girls who participated in the camp, celebrating the success of the Royals Women, and wishing the team a triumphant tournament,” she said.
She also emphasised that the camp was part of a broader initiative to utilise cricket as a tool for social change.
Looking ahead, Sutherland revealed that the next phase of the initiative would involve the creation of an after-school programme, enabling participants to balance their academic responsibilities with their sporting ambitions.
“It seemed only natural that the next step should be to create a holistic environment for these girls, and an after-school club fits perfectly . . . . If you aspire to play cricket at the highest level, what better way than by ensuring your academic performance is equally strong?”
Holder, speaking after the event, highlighted the importance of establishing a sustainable grassroots system for women’s cricket. He praised the club’s efforts as a significant step forward.
“It’s a fantastic initiative. The Royals Sports Group has heavily invested in both men’s and women’s cricket, and it’s encouraging to see development programmes at the grassroots level for women, offering them a pathway to evolve and potentially become future stars for Barbados and the West Indies,” he said.
“I hope this initiative continues to grow, so we can see more players like Hayley Matthews and Aaliyah Alleyne emerge, and overall, witness the betterment of women’s sport across the region, not just cricket,” added Holder, 32, who has 66 T20 International wickets and 387 wickets across all formats for the West Indies.
The camp’s success has sparked discussions about expansion beyond Barbados and Sutherland disclosed that talks are underway regarding the establishment of similar clubs across the Caribbean, with the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders likely to be the first to join the initiative, given their existing female franchises.
“Our mission is cricket for social change . . . but what use is it if we’re only playing among ourselves? Why not expand it across the region and bring other teams on board in different territories? However, sustainability requires funding. It is crucial for corporate Barbados to invest in programmes like these because without grassroots initiatives, tournaments, or camps for girls, you cannot talk about developing West Indies Women’s cricket. This club is the only one of its kind on the island and across the region, and if we want to see it grow, we need corporate sponsorship,” she said.
