The 34th Staging of the Kingston Wharves U-15 Competition Gets Underway

CEO of Kingston Wharves Limited Mark Williams has pledged the company’s continued support for the Under-15 Cricket Competition. He was speaking at the 34th staging of the competition, which was recently held at Sabina Park in Kingston.

It was noted that Kingston Wharves has been title sponsors for the competition for 34 years, almost half of its own existence.

Mr. Williams pointed out that Kingston Wharves was celebrating its 80th anniversary under the theme, 80 Years of Excellence: Committed to Service Powered by Partnership.

Tying the company’s theme with its contribution to the cricket competition, Mr. Williams said, “I want us to focus on excellence and what that means. It does not mean you have to be the best, it simply means you have to give of your best, and your best will be good enough.”

He urged the youngsters to be committed. “Be fully committed to whatever you are doing. We want you to be committed to the game, committed to the task, whether that task is cricket, administration or anything else,” Mr. Williams said, adding, “Kingston Wharves’ sponsorship is not just for the game; we want to build young men and young women of character, of integrity and young men and women who know what it means to give service.”

On the subject of partnership, Mr. Williams observed that no man was an island. He lauded the partnership with the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) over the years and the role of the competition in birthing world renowned cricketers, administrators and others who were positively impacting society.

Underscoring the importance of the competition in rebuilding the foundation of the sport in the region, the KWL CEO expressed the view that the golden era of West Indies cricket was not behind, but up ahead, with the continued honing of young talent through the competition and other means.

Both Courtney Francis, CEO of the Jamaica Cricket Association and 1st Vice President Fritz Harris expressed gratitude to Kingston Wharves for its longstanding sponsorship of the sport at the youth level.

“All Jamaican West Indies cricket players who are doing well in the world now, have passed through the competition,” Mr. Francis noted.

Mr. Harris observed that while it was a great time for cricket globally, the region had been having a difficult time (with many losses). “It is a fabulous time in cricket. There have never been so many teams around the world playing cricket. There have never been so many player, so much money. However in our neck of the woods, we frown more than we smile,” he said.

Addressing the young players he noted, “You hold the keys to changing some of those frowns into smiles.” He added that the current challenges being faced with cricket in the region, made KWL support for youth cricket even more special because it was rebuilding the foundation by fostering youngsters who were not just physically skilled at playing the sport, but who had thinking minds.

Ansel Crawford, Captain of Melbourne Cricket Club team, said the U-15 Competition was a wonderful opportunity for young players to showcase their talent and develop their skills. He thanked the coaches, sponsors, administrators and others for their dedication.