The historic Berbice Cricket Board/Scotia Bank Cricket Academy opened on Monday at the Port Mourant Cricket ground with president of the Board Keith Foster telling the 45 young cricketers that discipline and dedication were the keys to success.
The academy organised by the Special Events Committee is the first of its kind to be established by the county board and aims to nurture the talents of youths between the ages of 13 to 18 years who have been identified as promising talents.
Chairman of the Special Events Committee and Public Relations Officer of the Board Hilbert Foster called on the academy members to learn as much as they can during the one-week course as a modern cricketer has to have knowledge about everything on and off the cricket field.
Noting that finance is a major hindrance in today’s economic crisis, he advised the youths to make sure that the board’s investment in their future is not wasted.
He also advised them that the Berbice Cricket Board expects discipline to be the pillar on which the game is built and that no form of indiscipline would be tolerated at any level.
President Keith Foster told the attentive audience that they were a privileged set as it is the first time the board was undertaking such a venture and he praised the sponsor for supporting the academy. Coaching would be undertaken in all departments as the aim of the Berbice Cricket Board is to dominate cricket in Berbice at all levels.
Head coach Michael Hyles Franco challenged his charges to be prepared to work hard, to listen to every instruction and to put into practice all that they would learn.
The coaching programme would be conducted by Franco with the assistance of level two coach Winston Smith and national player and level one coach Delbert Hicks.
Chairman of BCB Junior Selection Committee Leslie Solomon informed that an elite 20-man squad would be selected at the end of the academy and they would be exposed to more coaching for possible selection on the Berbice Junior Cricket teams.
Carl Moore, Guyana senior cricket manager, presented the first lecture at the academy, speaking on the topic “Structure of Cricket”.
