–U-15 cricketers told
By Tiadi Blair
Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President Chetram Singh yesterday urged under-15 cricketers to think big stating that ultimately their goal should be nothing less than a place on the West Indies team.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Under-15 National Cricket Academy, Singh said that the programme has opened a door which can lead to the world stage but this can only be done through hard work and dedication.
“Your ultimate goal is to play for the West Indies but my advice would also be to play for the incentives that cricket has to offer and take into consideration the kind of money that is at stake,” the GCB boss stated.
He went on to give details of the potential earning power of an international cricketer and that included the annual salary without other endorsements a player would usually receive.
The academy which lasted just over three weeks was part of a drive by the GCB, the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to prepare potential national cricket players through practical and theoretical education about the sport.
Based on reports and his own observation Singh said the programme was worthwhile and would be the start of future national cricket academies.
Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony in his presentation reinforced the importance of education and this was echoed in the speeches of everyone at the head table including Director of Sport Neil Kumar.
The minister congratulated the boys on the completion of the camp, adding that it was something not many will have the opportunity to do.
Anthony saw the camp from an angle of a career gateway listing numerous occupations that sport has to offer.
Careers in sport include administrative work, therapy, medicine and even law but the list can go on, he stated, noting that not everyone might be able to get into the national team. The minister offered the youngsters a simple formula; sport + education = a winning combination.
On July 13 when the programme officially began the minister had highlighted the fact that education is an important aspect of any individual’s life and made it clear that the ministry would have a bird’s eye view of each participant’s educational background.
The vision for sport as a whole however was for the use of high tech equipment to produce outstanding athletes who could challenge front runners on the world stage. The minister noted: “The use of technology in sport will be looked into because the competition, like Jamaica for example, will have the edge on us if we don’t begin to utilize technology.”
The boys were given certificates and some were awarded with trophies in recognition of their accomplishments.
Kumar stated that his organisation and the ministry will go back to the drawing board in order to plan for the next cricket academy.
