By Neto Baptiste
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA), Leon “Kuma” Rodney, has joined the nation in sending condolences to the family, teammates and friends of 16-year-old national cricketer, Vonde Bowers, who was allegedly stabbed to death on Tuesday night.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sport Show, Rodney said the loss is on a national scale as Bowers would have represented the country on numerous occasions.
“On behalf of myself and the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association, I say condolences to the family of the young man, Mr Bowers. It’s sad, and one life lost is one life too many. The young man has played Under-19s and he just came back with the squad that went to England. So, not withstanding that the family is suffering the loss, but knowing that the young man was already making a contribution to the nation means that it is a national loss also, because we will never know how far he would have gotten with the cricket; so it’s a sad loss for everyone,” he said.
Reports are that Bowers was discovered by passersby in Gray’s Farm with multiple stab wounds. He was transported to the Sir Lester Bird Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Bowers, who was a fourth-form student at Ottos Comprehensive School, recently represented Antigua and Barbuda as a member of the Under-19 team on a UK tour.
Rodney said the association provides counselling for all young players selected for national duties.
“Every time we bring a youth team together we have sessions like those. I think it’s more holistic and it has to start within the family, the clubs. So, it’s a holistic situation and the whole development of youth cricket has to be holistic. When we have national teams, we always bring in people, especially at the youth level, to talk to the players,” he said.
Bowers represented the Mahico Cricket Team in Parish League and also played for both the Rising Sun Spartans and Tertiary Institutions and Schools in separate ABCA competitions.
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