Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARYTHE Scotiabank West Indian Jubilee, a celebration to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the West Indies in Test cricket, has been going well. As far as fanning interest in the game is concerned, it has been a tremendous success.
A few months ago, cricket fans in the six territories affiliated to the West Indies Cricket Board selected their top cricketers of all time. Members of a 30-man jury from the West Indies, England, Australia, New Zealand and India are voting for the top five West Indies cricketers of all time and although their votes will not count as far as the result is concerned, fans around the region are also voting for their top five with the winner, when matched with the selections of the jury, winning a trip to the Jubilee Banquet in Birmingham on July 27 plus a day at the Test match between the West Indies and England at Edgbaston.
The celebration, however, included one other event, the final of that event took place at the Creative Production and Training Centre, Arnold Road, on Tuesday, and it was a wonderful occasion.
PROMOTION
For a number of years now, Scotiabank has been promoting cricket through a Kiddy Cricket programme. According to managing director, William 'Bill' Clarke, there was no way there would be a celebration without the kids and after many discussions Scotiabank came up with the Kiddy Cricket Senate - a debating contest between 28 Primary and All-Age schools around the country.
"The goal of the debate is to increase the impact of cricket on students and to provide an opportunity for young people involved in the Kiddy Cricket programme to develop their debating skills," said Clarke.
Based on the knockout contests and the final between Sheffield All-Age of Westmore-land and Rousseau Primary of Kingston, it was a tremendous success.
In the final, the moot was, be it resolved that Brian Lara is the West Indies greatest cricketer. It was proposed by Sheffield All-Age and opposed by Rousseau Primary. After a stirring debate, a close race in each category, Rousseau emerged winners by two points - 82 to 80.
"The moot is challenging, we have asked the participants to argue with the entire Jamaican population that Lara is our greatest cricketer, and most importantly, we have asked primary school children to flex their muscles and argue against a moot, which many of them no doubt believe," said Clarke in a short address on Tuesday.
SPONSORS
"They do so with our confidence that they will make Scotiabank, sponsors of the Scotiabank West Indian Jubilee, and the Scotia Jamaica Building Society, sponsors of the Kiddies Great Debate, proud."
That confidence was not misplaced. In fact, such was the skill level of both those proposing and those opposing, such was the content - knowledge, soundness of argument and organisation of material, such was the delivery - eloquence, persuasion, use of language, confidence displayed and such were the rebuttals that all Jamaica should be proud.
Adrian Josephs and Semoy of Francis, the boy and girl of Rousseau who opposed and who rebutted, Nimoya Whyte and Orlando Gilmour, the girl and the boy of Sheffield who proposed and who rebutted, were good, very good. So much so that there were nods of approval throughout the debate, handclaps after handclaps after each delivery and a ringing round of applause for both teams when the match was over.
