660 students to play 143 games of cricket in 63 days

(Wednesday, April 24, 2013) The eighth staging of the JCA-Scotiabank Prep School Cricket Competition was launched today at the Lucas Cricket Club in Kingston. With a sponsorship of $3M this year, 660 boys and girls across the island will have the opportunity to learn about the game, develop their skills, and in some cases get their first taste of competitive cricket

"Cricket means so much to the region. As a game it has deep cultural, emotional and economic significance. The rich history and tradition can only continue if properly nurtured and supported. Our role is to continue to support the many committed men and women of the JCA and the enthusiastic coaches who are happy to pass on their love for and expertise in this great game. We are particularly focused on the character development that comes from involvement in sports. We hope to see improvement in self esteem, interpersonal skills, team work, co-operation and conflict resolution as other benefits to the young players," said Monique Todd, Vice President, Marketing, Public & Corporate Affairs at Scotiabank.

Scotiabank's sponsorship of $3M will help the Jamaica Cricket Association stage some 133 matches across the island among 43 teams between April 24 and June 21. The order of the series will see schools placed in zones of six teams each for the Preliminary phase; thus Surrey has four zones, Cornwall two and Middlesex two. The two zones in Middlesex are done according to parish as one zone has in all Clarendon schools and the other all Manchester Schools. Winners of each zone then compete in a knockout format to determine the County winner. There will be 19 teams from Surrey, 12 from Cornwall and12 from Middlesex. Matches will be played at clubs in Kingston, Belair Prep - Manchester, various venues in Clarendon and at Cornwall College in St. James. Teams and players will vie for trophies and medals for performances in seven categories: County Champions – medals; Batsmen scoring centuries – miniature trophies; Batsmen scoring half centuries – miniature trophies; Bowlers taking 5 or more wickets in a match – miniature trophies; Player of the finals – miniature trophy; Runners up – silver medals; and Champion – gold medals and the winning trophy. MVPs for each county will receive bursaries of $50,000.

The three-County Champions will then be joined by the Surrey runner-up for the National Semi-finals from where the winners play for the Championship. Teams and players vie for and are awarded with trophies and medals for performances in the categories of County Champions; Batsmen scoring centuries; Batsmen scoring half centuries; Bowlers taking five or more wickets in a match; Player of the finals; Runners up and Champion.

Last year's overall champion was Hydel Prep, while county champions were Hydel, St. James Prep and Belair Prep for Surrey, Cornwall and Middlesex respectively. "For many youngsters this is their first introduction to the wonderful game of cricket. The JCA is very hopeful that many of these young players will continue to play the game after their departure from Prep. School. With focus they can move on to represent Jamaica, the West Indies and teams in the Premier League Competitions around the world as we have seen in the likes of Courtney Walsh, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Andre Russell," said Lyndel Wright, President of the Jamaica Cricket Association.

Tamar "Marvelous" Lambert, captain of Jamaica's senior cricket team is a product of the JCA's prep school cricket programme. Scotiabank has had a longstanding engagement with development cricket which includes the regional Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket Programme. The programme caters to boys and girls, ages 7-12. In addition to teaching them how to play the game, Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket helps to foster a love of learning and builds leadership skills. By developing motor skills, arts & crafts abilities, and math speediness, Kiddy Cricketers are trained to be more disciplined and confident.

Klao Bell-Lewis
Manager: Public Relations and Corporate Affairs
klao.bell-lewis@scotiabank.com