ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Some of the region’s most promising female cricketers recently benefited from a Women’s Academy High-Performance Skills Camp aimed at honing and developing their skills.

The camp, which was hosted by Cricket West Indies (CWI), ran from March 18 to 27 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua and saw franchise-contracted players working alongside an experienced coaching team led by West Indies Women’s Head Coach Shane Deitz.

The initiative brought together 12 CWI Academy-contracted players and three franchise-contracted players; Earnisha Fontaine (Dominica), Nerissa Crafton (Saint Lucia), and Sheneta Grimmond (Guyana).

Additionally, eight CWI pathway coaches from across the region participated in the camp, along with Sam Kirnon, a coach from Dominica, who was specially nominated by the Windward Islands Cricket Board to attend.

Director of cricket at CWI Miles Bascombe hailed the initiative, describing it as a “crucial investment”.

“This Women’s Academy High-Performance Camp focuses on alignment. It represents a crucial investment in the future of West Indies cricket by uniting our most promising talent and regional coaches with the women’s head coach, establishing a cohesive approach to player development that aligns with the senior team brand,” Bascombe said.

“The technical skills these young women will develop here are important, but the ability of our regional coaches to support our women players in their territories is equally valuable.

“Our vision is to build a sustainable pathway that consistently produces world-class cricketers capable of competing at the highest level, and initiatives like this are fundamental to that strategy,” he added.

The training schedule focused on several key areas, divided between specialist batting, bowling, and fielding sessions.

Players engaged in scenario-based training to improve decision-making under pressure, game awareness, and tactical play and there were also strength and conditioning sessions designed to improve fitness and prevent injuries.

The camp aimed to develop technical cricket abilities as well as the mental resilience and tactical understanding needed to succeed at higher levels of competition.

Pathway coaches were exposed to progressive training methodologies as they provided targeted skill development for the players.