GUEST speaker Chris Dehring emphasised the importance of commitment and dedication on the road to a successful cricketing career as he addressed youngsters during the ISSA GraceKennedy awards ceremony held at Manchester Golf Club.

Dehring, who played youth cricket for Jamaica, said West Indies cricket, handicapped by limited resources, faces a perpetually uphill challenge to close the gap on the globe’s top cricket-playing nations.

“You, as youngsters, need to understand the world you are now competing in. It is no longer the 15-minute knock-up in the [practice] nets like I used to [have]… and I ended up batting at number three for a Jamaica youth team that included [outstanding fast bowlers] Courtney Walsh and Patrick Patterson,” said Dehring, the chief executive officer of digital cable company ReadyTV, last Wednesday.

He said that while West Indies’ highly talented cricketers reigned supreme in the 1980s and early 1990s, the financial power of huge television markets left the small islands of the region floundering in the dust.

“The simple fact is that when television came into cricket, the days of WI cricket ruling the roost became numbered. Because television brought a paradigm shift in the revenues that cricket nations would start to earn,” he said.

Dehring, CEO of the ICC Cricket World Cup hosted in the Caribbean in 2007, said “massive revenues based on the relative economic size of each country’s television market” was a game-changer.

“The simple fact is that the small islands that comprise the West Indies [are] a tiny economic market when compared to countries like England, like Australia, not to mention India. And once television came into the equation, the gap in resources became a totally un-bridgeable chasm.

“Fast forward to today (and) little has changed. The resource gap has only grown bigger. Yes, we still have talent in the Caribbean, but we cannot prepare the same way and think we (West Indies) can make a comeback,” Dehring said.

The entrepreneur told young cricketers that despite the challenges, the sport can offer a very good livelihood.

“The reward today, if you can dedicate yourself to the game, is truly a career opportunity. A West Indies cricketer will earn upwards of US$250,000 a year. Even first-class cricketers are earning US$50-70K a year.

“Then there is the advent of Twenty20 (T20) — a totally made-for-TV derived product — which has brought new billions into the game, and the salaries of a decent T20 player drafted from league to league around the world is staggering,” he argued.

Radcliffe Daley, chief audit executive for GraceKennedy Group, noted his company’s involvement as brand sponsor in all age-group cricket at the high school level in its bid to propel development.

“GraceKennedy has always believed in supporting Jamaica’s growth and development, and through the development of young people, which we consider to be critical. We also think it’s important to invest in cricket at this level,” he said during his address.

“It’s really important to us to have healthy school competitions and leagues for our young people to play in because this is where players will come from for the next generation,” Daley added.

Keith Wellington, the ISSA vice-president, while praising GraceKennedy’s investment in youth cricket development and the words of encouragement from Dehring, was pleased that the ceremony afforded the opportunity to showcase high school cricket excellence.

“I’m sure the youngsters are appreciative of the recognition garnered from the day’s activities. It’s a long season — six months — and cricket doesn’t necessarily get all the hype that track and field and football get,” the St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) principal told the Jamaica Observer.

STETHS were awarded for winning the rural area and all-island Under-19 titles as well as the T20 championship. Innswood High were urban area Under-19 champions.

Wolmer’s Boys’ Under-14 and Under-16 teams, with perfect winning records throughout the season, lifted the urban and all-island crowns at both age-group levels. Manchester High were the rural Under-14 and Under-16 winners.

Excelsior High’s Kirk McKenzie was top all-rounder in the urban competition after ammassing 918 runs and claiming 61 wickets. Andre McCarthy of STETHS won the equivalent award in the rural area, with 380 runs and 34 wickets.