The Southeast Zone will begin the defense of the Scotiabank NextGen Under-15 cricket title against South when the 2023 edition of the youth development program kicks off today.
The Southern Derby, usually a hotly contested affair, will be played at the Sancho Branch Road Recreation Ground and features four fixtures scheduled for the opening round.
The Southeast Zone played undefeated when the tournament was staged last season after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19 restrictions.
However, the final against Central was severely disrupted by rain and eventually had to be called off after Southeast batting first reached 152 for eight after 32 overs, and six weather interruptions.
The clash was eventually called off by the umpires and South East were crowned champions due to their winning record.
Last year’s finalists Central kick off their campaign today against South West at the Agostini Estate Recreation Ground on Lime Head Road in Chase Village, Chaguanas, while North Zone will enjoy their home advantage at Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of Spain, when they oppose the North. Birth to another key meeting.
Eastern Zone will host Tobago at the National Cricket Center in Balmain, Couva, in today’s other match.
At the launch of the event last week, Peter Ghany, director of the Scotiabank Foundation said the success of the partnership with the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board is evidenced by the number of cricketers graduating to the Red Force national team.
“The ambition of the Scotiabank NextGen Cricket Development Program is to positively impact the lives of our young people. We are aiming to improve their educational and employment prospects so that they can adapt to changing circumstances and increase the likelihood of financial success,” said Ghany.
There will be three rounds of preliminary matches with the semi-finals on February 24 and the championship game on March 1. All matches are 50 overs per team and take place at the respective venues at 9:30 am.
SCOTIABANK NEXTGEN U-15 TOURNAMENT
Group “A”: East, North-East, Tobago, North
Group “B”: South, Central, Southeast, Southwest
Round 1 matches:
today
Tobago vs East, National Cricket Centre, Balmain
North East vs North, Queen’s Park Oval
Central vs. Southwest, Agostini Residential Recreation Area
Southeast vs. South, Sancho Dega Street Recreation Ground
