BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC)
JAMAICA ARE moving to strengthen their youth programme in the wake of two recent failed campaigns in the senior regional competitions.
Jamaica finished last in the Carib Beer Series competition after a disappointing performance and also failed to make the final four of the last KFC Cup one-day tournament.
Jackie Hendriks, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) president, said that after putting much of the focus on the seniors, the thrust was now on developing a cricket culture among the younger players.
"What we are trying to do really is to start down in the very young age groups," Hendriks told CMC Sports recently.
"This is the thrust that [Jeffrey] Dujon (former technical director) and his coaching staff were engaged in. We felt that we had spent a lot of our resources on the older fellows and we wanted to concentrate on the younger ones and teach them the game."
He added: "[We want to] let them get familiar with the game of cricket in its aspects and as they move up the ladder they would become more and more aware of the game."
Hendriks, a former West Indies wicketkeeper, said many of the current players at regional and Test level still possessed basic deficiencies and argued that these problems could be prevented with effective coaching at the various youth levels.
"I find today with a lot of cricketers, even at the highest level, you find them still having certain deficiencies," Hendriks continued.
"They don't read the game very well, the out-cricket is not as good as it should be and I find that these things have to be inculcated into these very young kids at 10, 11, 12, 13 and the whole aspect of their cricket - their enjoyment of the game and the enthusiasm with which they play it - I think that has got to be inculcated into them from that age.
"I think as they go up the ladder they learn and by the time they reach the age of 20, 21, they should be fairly well accomplished."
Jamaica completed the double in the 2004 Carib Beer Series, taking both the league and Challenge title but returned to play poorly in the following season with a series of substandard performances.
Hendriks said he believed with the youth thrust, Jamaica's cricket would turn the corner shortly.
"I don't see any reason why not. We have quite a few players in the Test arena, we have some in the A-team and I think it is just a matter of concentrating on the job at hand and bringing their experience to bear," Hendriks said.
"We have not played well in the last couple of tournaments without a doubt and it has been very disappointing and this is why the thrust will now be with the younger kids to let them become familiar with the game from a very early age and begin to get that desire and love for the game which is so necessary if you are going to play it well."
