NOT even rain could stop the Republic Bank Five for Fun Cricket Programme National Festival Finals from bowling off on July 9 as ten district winners battled for top honours on the infield of the National Cycling Centre in Balmain, Couva. The festival’s final day capped off over two months of cricket activity involving over 80 primary schools — ten from each district. Facilitated by Cricket West Indies (CWI) through development project officer Brendon Ramlal and Republic Bank, the Trinidad-leg of Five for Fun marks the fifth hosting throughout regional territories, with St Lucia hosting the first leg in 2021, followed by Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis and now, Trinidad and Tobago. Ramlal described the initiative as a “tremendous success” and a key step in reviving youth cricket across the region. “This marks the beginning of our developmental journey at Cricket West Indies,” Ramlal said. “We want to identify the future stars of West Indies cricket at the grassroots level.” He said the programme forms the entry point of CWI’s developmental pathway. Designed for boys and girls aged eight to 12, the programme introduces children to cricket in a fun, inclusive, and team-oriented environment, while allowing for early talent identification. Ramlal said the vision is to expand further, with hopes of entering additional Republic Bank territories and eventually rolling out the programme in all West Indian nations by 2027 or 2028. Five for Fun is played with five players on each team. Each team faces five overs each, with each player bowling and batting one full over. When a batter is dismissed, three runs are subtracted from his/her team’s total, but the batter is allowed to complete their allotted over at the crease. He praised the enthusiasm shown by schools, noting that while teams consisted of only eight players (with five on the field at a time), many schools reported up to 20 children in training, eager to earn selection. That overwhelming interest, he said, reflects the programme’s growing popularity. “We’ve been inundated with calls from schools wanting to get involved after seeing what it’s all about. That’s a good problem to have.” Despite weather challenges that forced portions of the festival indoors, Ramlal highlighted the adaptability of the programme and the potential for future indoor cricket development. “That (playing the finals indoor) was an untapped avenue, and something we’re seriously looking at for the future.” Looking ahead, Ramlal said there is a strong push to grow the initiative even further in 2026 and beyond, with continued support from Republic Bank and other regional cricket and education stakeholders. “This programme has not only brought schools together, it has brought communities, sponsors, and key stakeholders like the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Education together as well. It has reignited cricket within the primary school setup, which has been a challenge post-covid19.” Additionally, Republic Bank’s manager of Group Brand Management Reena Gopaul told Newsday the bank’s long-standing commitment to cricket development stems from its Power to Make a Difference corporate social responsibility programme. “As you know, we are the title sponsor and official bank of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League and the proprietary owner of the Five for Fun cricket format,” Gopaul said. “Our goal is to ensure there’s a sustainability element to cricket in the region.” “For us, this is about more than cricket. It’s about teaching kids discipline, teamwork, resilience, and providing a positive outlet through sport. It’s also a mixed-gender format, promoting diversity and inclusion from the very start.” Gopaul expressed hope that this foundation-level programme could one day help develop future cricketers who go on to represent Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, or even the Caribbean Premier League. “We are very pleased with the partnership with Cricket West Indies,” she added. “There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing how the children embrace it, how much they value it. At the end of the day, we’re doing this for them.”