Curry Goat Cricket targets at-risk youth - Cruickshank

Oneil Cruickshank, cricket operations manager of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), said this year's staging of the IGL Curry Goat Cricket Series will target high-risk youth in various communities across the island.

The competition returned to the Manley Horne Cricket Ground in Ballards Valley, St Elizabeth, on Sunday after a 12 year absence. This attracted lots of youngsters from across the parish.

Cruickshank told STAR Sports that he is happy the competition has returned, because it will help to foster a better camaraderie among the youths.

"This is Jamaica and we have factions all over the place where we can bring communities together, and we are happy to do so," said Cruickshank.

"There are people from different areas of St Elizabeth here and are enjoying this event and are mingling together," he said.

"We have youngsters that would have been other places not doing something good, so the fact that they are here, means that they have been reintroduced to cricket," he said.

STAY OUT OF TROUBLE

"It also means that some of them may decide to follow the cricket a little bit more and it will help to keep them out of trouble, and some of them maybe inspired to play the game," Cruickshank said.

"I think that even though the competition is billed as 'Curry Goat Cricket,' which largely is about elderly people, we have seen a lot of youngsters who have been involved. When we have the secondary feature, we saw a lot of youngsters out there. What it means is that cricket is still alive in the communities," he said.

St Elizabeth Invitational defeated the IGL Blue Flames by 26 runs to win Sunday's match.

The second match in the series will be played on July 1 in Westmoreland.