In an effort to recognise our young people making strides, every week we will feature atleast one young person from the OECS on Talent Tuesday. This week we feature 4 outstanding cricketers from UWI Cavehill Campus. In this piece we feature Nino Henry.
Similar to the way in which the sun rises from the horizon, Nino Henry will rise to the cricket scene with pride and vibrance like his Antiguan people. The way in which the two red triangles come together and form a 'V' on the Antiguan flag, symbolizes Henry's future victory on the field.
Nino was granted the opportunity to gain a cricket scholarship by a weeklong cricket camp in St. Kitts. Each island in the Leeward Islands had to send two participants from their country to compete and only three from the camp was allowed to get the scholarship. Fortunately, Henry was one of those three people. The transition for Henry was not difficult. He had to "understand UWI's cricketing culture" first. He had to blend in with other "stars" from other territories rather than having a big ego.
He played for the Antigua and Leeward Youth level under 15 and under 19 cricket team, the Antigua Senior team and for the CCC team. His dream is to play for the West Indies cricket team and hopes that hard work will help him achieve this, some day. Henry is best known as a fast bowler and lower order batsman.
Before a match, Henry prefers to be relaxed and calm so that he can perform well. Although he strives to be his best, time management has sometimes gotten the best of him. For him, time management can be an issue especially since Henry is a student athlete. This means that it is not always easy balancing schoolwork and cricket practice. He also wishes that more proper athletic facilities be administered into different Caribbean territories and not only at UWI because it would help develop more upcoming young athletes.
His motivation stems from his parents, especially from his mother. Knowing all the sacrifices that she had to make for him, he wants to return the favour and make her proud. He is also motivated by what awaits him if he reaches the top. He knows that if he reaches the top, life would be better for him. He advises young athletes who dream of a professional career and pursuing an education to make sure that they receive an education because he believes that a professional career in sports has a short timeline and by having an education, they can have something to fall back on. However, he plans to fully focus on cricket after he graduates from UWI to become one step closer to his dram.
Know someone that should be featured in Talent Tuesdays? Send us an email at oecsyes@oecs.org
