STILL basking in the double success of St Mary’s team copping the unprecedented double of male and female SDC champions, president of the St Mary Cricket Association, Ian Spencer has delivered an urgent plea to corporate Jamaica and the political directorate for sponsorship of the parish.

“It’s really tough attracting sponsorship for cricket,” Spencer lamented in an interview.

“Imagine, for the past three seasons we have had two SDC male and female SDC champions; St Mary has been to the last two finals of the Jamaica Cricket Association 50-over championships; semi finals of the T20 Bashment; finals of the last Kingston Wharves Under 15; and currently in the quarter-finals as well as players in Jamaica’s National Under 15, Under 17 and Under 19 teams — and yet we are struggling to get corporate Jamaica to sponsor our parish. This is heart-rending,” Spencer said.

The St Mary CA boss noted that with all the parish’s major achievements recently they are still without a net facility on which the teams can practise. “We have to shell out thousands of dollars to rent a ground and a pitch for our youngsters and seniors to practise on. This is crazy.”

Spencer pointed out that, “We have sent out letters to the majority of major companies in the island, seeking sponsorship, with hardly any success. We have so much talent in our area and we have a wonderful product, but we need the help from corporate Jamaica and our local political representatives or we won’t be able to sustain this level of excellence.”

Noting that it’s tough when he sees millions of dollars being pumped into other sports while a parish that is performing at such a high level is almost forgotten, Spencer said, “At times I feel like walking away but when I look at the set of cricketers I have in my parish and the hard work they put in, I promise myself to stay the course for even another term.”

The St Mary president, who is also a director of the Jamaica Cricket Board, pointed to the upcoming St Mary T20 Blast competition — to be staged in his parish — as suffering from a lack of incentives. “I must say thank you to Sandals Resorts for being the main sponsors of our local competition for the past three years, and a special mention to Costly Construction who is our godfather, Brahams Service Station for their support over the years as without them cricket would be dead in St Mary. I also want to single out Mr Denzil Wilks from the Sports Development Foundation who has sponsored our youth academy for the past 2 years.”

Despite what people may think, cricket in Jamaica and in the rural areas is alive and well, Spencer noted. “All we in this little banana parish need now is for corporate Jamaica and the political directorate to lend us a hand to deliver our youth from poverty and seek a livelihood from the sport we love so much. I am hoping this plea will not fall on deaf ears and someone will reach out and help us.”