The event which was held at the club’s Area ‘H’ ground head office was organised under the RHTYSC’s annual cricket development programme with the aim of assisting young cricketers to fulfill their potential and become positive role models to others.
CEO/Secretary of the RHTYSC, Hilbert Foster stated that the organization was committed to cricket development in Berbice and Guyana. With this in the mind, the club has invested millions of dollars to assist clubs, young cricketers and cricket associations.
Foster also disclosed that the club would be donating $1,300,000 worth of sport gear to clubs across Berbice next week in an effort to offer sports as an incentive towards a life away from crime and drugs. Addressing the young cricketers directly, the RHTYSC CEO advised them to aspire to become the next Butcher.
Butcher scored 3,104 Test runs at an average of 43.11 from 44 matches. He hit seven centuries and 16 half centuries with his highest score being an unbeaten 209. He also scored 31 centuries and 54 half centuries at the first class level with an aggregate of 11,628 runs.
Parents of the awardees were urged to invest more time in their children’s cricketing career and also to be the best role models for them. The long serving cricket administrator also urged the parents to ensure that their children stay in school and acquire a solid education.
President of the club Keith Foster, who is also head of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), expressed his satisfaction at the high level of the game in the county but noted that much more has to be done not only to maintain it but to reach for more success.
The president emphasized that the RHTYSC and Butcher were investing a lot in the game’s future and he challenged the 12 awardees to take full advantage of the confidence placed in them.
Sponsor of the Trust Fund, 76-year-old Butcher in an emotional address stated that the present state of Guyana and West Indies cricket is a nightmare to past Test players who had worked hard to elevate the game. The veteran noted that cricket was a central part of life in the Caribbean and it is the one thing that brings unity to the people in the region.
Butcher said that this annual investment is his way of giving back to the game and the county of Berbice as cricket allowed him to have a good lifestyle while also teaching him the importance of hard work, discipline and dedication. He implored the young cricketers to fully dedicate themselves to the game and to work hard on all aspects of it.
Noting that cricket now is more about money, he advised players to play the game for the love of it and success would be certain. Butcher, who also had a long and successful career as a cricket administrator, called on cricket leaders in Guyana to stop the in-fighting and place more emphasis on the players than on position and power.
The Butcher family, including his wife Pam and daughter Blossom, who is a visiting barrister-at-law from Washington DC, handed over the equipment and educational packages to the awardees.
Among the items received by the players were cricket boots, batting pads and a complete set of cricket uniforms. They also received educational and hygiene material worth $10,000 each.
Kumar Madray and Nicholas Cameron of RHTYSC, Lalchand Ramoo of West Berbice, Raju Singh of Port Mourant, Nick Ceres of Scottsburg, Shimron Hetmeyer of Young Warriors, Andre Grant of Rose Hall, Canje, Dwayne Sukhlall of Kildonan, Parmanand Ramdhan of Blairmont, Quacy Mickle of Police, Vishnu Kasinauth of Chesney and Romario De Jonge of Tucber Park were the awardees honoured by the club.
They were selected based on performances at the under-13 and under-15 levels.
