Another successful year of primary schools’ cricket came to an end with the Atlantic LNG National Primary Schools Cricket League (NPSCL) holding its closing ceremony at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre in Couva last Thursday.

Before a packed auditorium which included president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) Deryck Murray and representatives from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the Ministry of Education, the best of the best of the nation’s young athletes crossed the stage to collect awards, including medals, trophies and other prizes for their achievements on the cricket field during 2009.

St Pius RC Primary School topped their peers once again to be crowned Super League champions.

Cricketer of the Year was Ché Lewis of Tunapuna Presbyterian Primary School.

Among other schools competing with distinction were Clarke Rochard Government, the Inter-School Boys champions, and Palo Seco Government, crowned Inter-School Girls champs.

The district of St Patrick won both the Boys and Girls Inter District Championships.

Cricketer of the Year Lewis also had the distinction of being the top scorer of the league for the season, with a whopping 320 runs overall and a spectacular 106 average run score per game.

Taking the honours for highest score in an individual game was Brandon Sooklal of Sangre Grande Government Primary with a total of 107 runs.

The best wicket-taker for the season was Gideon Thomas of Guayaguayare RC, with 19 wickets.

The best individual bowler captured eight wickets for just six runs -Vishal Ram of Charlieville ASJA School.

NPSCL president Anthony Ramjit commended the players for what he described as an ’exhilarating, wonderful and successful 2009 season’.

Not to be left out were the girls who, for the first time this year, competed in their own Inter-District Competition and saw outstanding performances from players, including Talparo RC School’s Renice Boyce and Akala Sheppherd of Palo Seco Government School.

These two girls were among the League’s five Cricketers of the Year, along with Cricketer of the Year Ché Lewis, Best Wicket-Taker, Gideon Thomas and Shatrughan Rambaran of Clarke Rochard Government School

While the competition is over, the next phase of youth cricket is set to begin in a few days, with the staging of the Cricket Development Camp where the best players from all over the country will undergo specialised training, led by the professional coaches of the TTCB.