President of the Berbice Cricket Board of Control (BCBC) Ashraf Jafferally says he intends to revamp the game in the county and get it back to the days when persons used to come out and support the game regardless of the status of the match being played.
“Having seen things falling apart, I decided to take up the mantle to revamp cricket in the county of Berbice and take it back to the position where it once was. Gone are the days when persons would flock the grounds to see a game irrespective of who is playing or the status of the match,” Jafferally said.
The grandfather of six told Stabroek Sport in an exclusive interview that he was fed up with the way things were going when it came to cricket in Berbice, which included young players being victimized by those in authority.
“We have a set of young players who have the talent to represent Berbice, but because of their status or background, those in authority would put them aside.
“Then when they are beyond their playing days they would be remembered, at times too late. I believe that if a cricketer is worthy enough to represent his club at a given level, and he performs creditably, he should be given the opportunity to represent his county also.”
Jafferally also stated his intention to bring back to the county, a second division competition of the highest level that was second to none in the country.
“There is a need for the bridging of the gap between the Under-19s and first division cricket in Berbice and the only way to do that is to introduce a second division competition. Gone are the days also when clubs in the Berbice area would engage each other in the second division, either competitively or at the practice level. To this effect, I will be introducing a second division competition. This competition when introduced will be second to none in the country as I intend to get some major businesses in corporate Guyana to come on board as sponsors.”
Jafferally also stated that he had fresh ideas in mind for cricket in the area.
“There are some fresh ideas in mind when it comes to the administration of cricket. Readily, one of these is the introduction of an over-40 competition in the county. This would enable the older folks to rub shoulders with the younger ones at the clubs.”
When asked what motivated him to take up the presidency of the BCB, Jafferally stated that the need for the revamping of the sport in the county drove him to accept the challenge. He also plans to be a proactive president, in somewhat similar manner as Georgetown Cricket Association president, Bish Panday.
