ITI helps cricket get season rolling

The Port Moresby Cricket Association (POMCA) launched its season at the International Training Institute (ITI), promising to be bigger than ever before.
ITI director Senthil Kumaran Sentheyval, who handed over a cheque of K25,000 to support Port Moresby’s biggest club cricket competition, said: “This is our annual contribution towards Port Moresby cricket.
“We have been sponsoring for the past since 2014, we just want to keep it going.
“We always want to help Port Moresby cricket because they were not funded well in the past.
“A lot of Papua New Guinea’s players come from Port Moresby Cricket. They’ve got 700 players at different levels and we are here to help develop them.
“We have a good partnership with POMCA. We have a yearly bash which is going to start soon.
“Two different formats, one is for the full game and the other one is for the T20s.
“Those are the two major ones we are sponsoring,
“There is a lot of value in our sponsorship because it is helping POMCA in supporting people who are unemployed.
“Without this kind of contribution or organisational support, those people are left out of the system.”
POMCA president Dean Ani said: “Great contribution by Kumaran.
“It is an on going relationship with Kumaran and his ITI team, which has assisted us to meet our programmes and the games we run.”
In a statement, Cricket PNG (CPNG) said regular competitive cricket was necessary for the development of young cricketers.
Ani said: “We are the biggest association in the country.
“You’ll see that with all the 700 players that come through the system as being the affiliated association to the CPNG board, we run the U18s, U16s, U14s, U12s, premier and women’s competitions.
“In the juniors competitions there’s still a lot of talent and with more game time arranged for the children, they start developing the cricket skills at an early age.
“Cricket PNG also runs the BSP School cricket programme and a Swire Shipping-sponsored Talent identification programme as well, hence CPNG should bring the recognised young talents identified into the system, which is to play in the organised cricket competitions with Port Moresby Cricket Association, Lae, Popondetta and Aihoma.
“Only then you will see all these talents being guided by the respective club coaches.
“Also, we start building a pool of young players towards the CPNG senior, women’s and junior train-on squads.
“Hence, to financially assist POMCA, Lae, Popondetta and Aihoma, who are the only affiliated associations, CPNG needs corporate funding for their programmess they run.
“For the women, it is a part of their journey to the City Pharmacy Lewas.
“For the youngsters, it is their road to the Hebou PNG U19 Garamunts and for the senior men’s, it’s a step in the direction of the Hebou PNG Barramundis.”