Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Cricket Development Officer Colin Stuart, said yesterday the funds from the Stanford initiative had been used for a variety of projects geared towards cricket development.
Stuart, the former West Indies express speedster, said the funds were disbursed in three different programmes.
One programme, he explained, received US$5,000 per month for 12 months, totalling US$60,000 for upgrading of facilities.
This, Stuart said, facilitated the purchase of ground equipment for the maintenance of grounds which in the past, would have had to be contracted out. “With the purchased equipment we can now do most of the work in house,” Stuart said.
Additionally, the Suddie Cricket Ground in Essequibo was upgraded under this programme.
The second programme received US$10,000 per month for 12 months, totalling US$120,000 and was mainly used for coaching and player development.
Twenty coaches were hired and cameras and computers to be used for coaching were acquired. Under this programme also, several camps were held including the under-19 camp and the Twenty/20 camp. A seminar on diet and nutrition was also held, Stuart disclosed.
The third programme received US$100,000 and facilitated three projects. The first was the construction of four pitches, two of concrete and two of turf and a changing room at the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) ground. This project would allow players access to a playing facility at any hour of the day and they would not be restricted by the operating hours of the clubs.
The second project was the complete refurbishing and upgrading of the Anna Regina Community Centre ground which now has a new media centre, a new scoreboard and two new sightscreens.
The third project in this programme was the resuscitation of the Bermine facility. The ground had been ploughed, chipped, and levelled. Three pitches had been constructed in the middle and the outfield had been filled in where necessary. Fences had been also constructed in the front and back of the complex, Stuart said.
