By Calvin Roberts
Keon Joseph carted off the bulk of the prizes, including the Cricketer of the Year award when the Achievers Youth and Sports Club (AYSC) held their fifth annual awards ceremony at the Fort Wellington Secondary School last Saturday.
Joseph, who is currently a member of the Berbice under-19 team that is contesting the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) GTM-sponsored Inter-County tournament, also carted off the Under-15 Bowler and Player of the Year prizes as well as the Best Attendance and Junior Cricketer of the Year awards respectively.
He had the distinction of representing Guyana at the Regional CLICO under-15 competition held in Trinidad last year where he was voted the Most Valuable Player on the Guyana team at that tournament.
Apart from the Cricketer of the Year trophy which had his picture attached to it, he also received a bicycle much to the delight of his fellow awardees, team mates and Patron of the club, Opposition Leader Robert Corbin who attended the ceremony.
Other prize winners included Kenje Sedoc (Most Successful Captain and Spin Bowler); Khemraj Rampersaud (Most Improved under-15 Player); Keyron Fraser (Under-17 player of the year); Krisendat Ramoo (under-19 Batsman of the Year); Colin Duke (under-19 Player of the Year, Most Successful Senior and under-19 Bowler of the Year); and Kwesi Mentore (Most Successful Wicket Keeper).
Keith Fraser, who is better known for his goalkeeping skills in the football fraternity, also secured a double award for being the Best All Rounder and Fielder of the Year as well as the Outstanding 20/20 Batsman.
Earlier, vice president of the Club, Dr. Zulfikar Bux informed the gathering of the club’s achievements in 2007.
“Nine members of the under-15 team were called to trials but only two in Keon Joseph and Khemraj Rampersaud were selected with Joseph going on to play for Guyana. In the under-19 category, seven members attended the trials but only three, namely Colin Duke, Travis Perry and Keyron Fraser were selected.”
Bux further stated: “The Digicel clinic saw Travois Ross and Rampersaud participating and gaining valuable knowledge from the West Indies players, namely Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, the current captain and vice captain respectively, who conducted same. Three of our Under-17 players were selected to represent Berbice in the Inter-County competition with Fraser going on to represent Guyana in the quadrangular tournament held in Trinidad.”
Bux also noted that, “AYSC participated in the Under-15 competition organized by the Berbice Cricket Board of Control(BCBC), the Carpens and Plumbing of New York 50 overs competition where we lost in the final to Rose Hall Town Pepsi by two runs, Isaac Bissoon three-day competition and the Carib Beer/Pepsi 20/20 competition.”
He said too that they had also fielded a team in the TELENEC 50 overs first division competition and the first ever Cellink Plus Blue Power 20/20 competition, winning the latter.
Meanwhile, they are currently awaiting a date from the BCBC for the playing off of the Calcutta 20/20 final.
Off the field
Off the field of play, AYSC carried out a number of community outreach activities in the West Berbice area during 2007, including the donation of food stuff and school items to individuals. The food items issued were received from Food for the Poor.
The youngest and oldest mothers in the community were not left out as they each received a food hamper during a church service held on Mother’s Day at the Hopetown Emmanuel Congregational Church.
Corbin in his feature address urged the young men and women, not only in the club and the community but Guyana on the whole to understand the current situation facing not only Guyana but the world on the whole.
“At present when you turn on your television set, you can only hear about the food crisis that is affecting some countries. We need you to understand this situation as it is a serious one.” He urged them to be vigilant not only in their sport of choice but also in academics as well. “Remember education is the key to your future success. We need young men and women who are prepared to spend their hours both in sports and academia so that Guyana can move forward.
This kind of discipline and mental attitude will help you develop the skills to pursue your dreams…”
Corbin also called on the members to train hard in order to achieve greatness in the sporting discipline of their choice.
Using former world squash champion Jahangir Khan who trained for 14 hours a day as an example, he emphasized fitness as a key to success in sports.
“If you are not fit, you won’t be able to play the game to your full potential. You must train and exercise hard as you seek to pursue your goals of representing Guyana and the West Indies in the future.”
He ended the feature address with a maxim which his father often repeated to him while he was a young man and one he still values today.
“Heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight. But there they were whilst their companions slept working through the night.”
