UWI Women’s Cricket Club Promoted to Premiership.

For the first time since the club’s inception in 2013, The UWI Women’s Cricket Club (UWI WCC) will compete in the Premiership Division when the cricket season commences in 2021. The university team (which operates under the purview of The Academy of Sport at The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine) achieved the elusive feat after securing a top-two finish in the 30-over format of the Trinidad & Tobago Women’s Cricket Association’s Championship Division this year. 

Although the university team remained unbeaten in the league, they finished in 2^nd place after playing one round of cricket less than the eventual winner Tamana United, as the season ended prematurely due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Vice-captain Tammika Nanan-Ramsumair topped the club’s runs chart for the second consecutive year tallying 62 runs, while Talia Baksh, team captain in the 30-over format, led from the front with the most wickets (16) and career best figures of 5/11 against Barrackpore United Sports Club. Baksh described the achievement as the ‘icing on the cake’ and personally gratifying after having been a part of the team since 2014. The young Baksh, who recently celebrated her 25 birthday had this to say: “I am extremely thrilled on our promotion to the Premiership Division. It was a pleasure leading a group of talented and hardworking women. Our team has come a long way in terms of skill development and understanding the game. We fought tirelessly under the guidance and encouragement of our coach and were undefeated in this format this year.”

T20 and T10 captain Nadra Dwarika-Baptiste, who also managed the team this season, echoed similar sentiments and expressed her joy at the club having achieved this milestone. “In 2018 there was a restructure of the cricket programme at The Academy of Sport, with Keshava Ramphal and former West Indies’ captain Stephanie Power appointed as the coaching staff. Coach Power immediately stated that the overarching team goal was to play at the Premiership level in two years. I am very happy to say that goal was achieved. Coach Power has an exceptional eye for detail and recognises that within the team there exists skills on both ends of the spectrum. She drives improvement in the team by working with each individual to enhance their skills.” 

The UWI WCC captured their first title in The Trinidad & Tobago’s Women’s Association (TTWCA) competition back in 2018 when they won the Super Sixes tournament. In 2019 they were the winners of the inaugural T10 competition and the T20 competition, driven by stellar performances with bat and ball by their Barbadian player Aaliyah Williams. However, having lost their T10 title this year, they were unable to defend their T20 title as the season ended abruptly, resulting in another 2nd place finish after 6 rounds of cricket. The ladies still had much to celebrate as Guyanese student Latoya Garraway returned to form this year as the club’s leading run scorer in the format, blazing 161 runs at an average of 80.50. Talia Baksh also carried her form into the T20 competition taking the most wickets (8) with her best bowling figures being 3/11.  

Dwarika-Baptiste was full of praise for her teammates: “The main challenge for the student athlete is balancing athletic and academic responsibilities, while trying to ensure positive mental and physical health. The ladies have been performing excellently in both arenas and it just gives credence to the fact that female athletes on campus can achieve as much as their male counterparts.” 

Coach Stephanie Power attributed the success of the team to their level of commitment and hunger to achieve the team goal from since the start of the 2019 season: “The work they did in the first year was exceptional as we won 2 out of 3 competitions. The impetus from last season ensured we were on top of our game this season, having only lost one game in the T20 competition. We cannot rest on our laurels as Premiership is a completely different ball game. We would meet national and West Indian players there but I know these ladies possess the determination and drive to work hard and learn from game to game.”