President of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) Alfred Mentore said yesterday that 2014 will focus on the continued development of the sport’s next ambassadors while plans to turn the club into a multi-sporting facility for the community and country are currently in the works.
Mentore, during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday explained that the club had recorded a good
year for cricket and activities throughout 2013. He added that he foresaw greater strides being made this year with regards to youth development and infrastructural remodeling.
The president pointed out that the core of the club’s highlight moments for the past year revolved around the youths who greatly improved the quality of their play whilst earning national call-ups to the Under-15, U16 and U17 levels while the club’s summer programme was essential as it was used as a stepping-stone towards a better cricket career.
Mentore highlighted that the club’s drive towards securing sponsorship for 2014, the installation of lights and most importantly, the club’s concrete facility which will be used for indoor practice when the ground and pitch are affected by the weather, were the standout achievements for the club. The indoor facility is expected to be built with overhead dorm rooms which will be useful for players from across the country that might have to live in during cricket seasons if required.
Apart from cricket a wider range of sporting disciplines such as; hockey basketball, football and others are in the club’s developmental plans and the president stated that these disciplines will receive their respective playing quarters with aims of diversely boosting sports for the community and the country.
Among the negatives surrounding the club during 2013 said Mentore, was the acts of indisciplined behavior which, Mentore said, most organisations encounter.
He however said that he was elated that they were able to rectify the problems as soon as they were noticed.
“We have issues like any other clubs and we will try our best to manage and deal with them,” he noted.
Speaking about the calibre of players who helped to lift the club and ensure that its rich legacy continues, Mentore pinpointed the talented West Indies and Guyana all-rounder Christopher Barnwell as the “guiding light” of the club, saying that the right-hander is one of the feature players who has it in him to go a lot further in his career.
“He (Barnwell) appears like he wants it and has it in him to go further, but I truly believe that the other players have what it takes to do it big they just need to prepare properly as the onus is on them,” the President declared.
He also thanked Barnwell, Trevon Griffith, former Guyana and West Indies batsman Travis Dowlin, along with the former legendary West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd and ex-West Indies all-rounder Roger Harper for their financial assistance and moral boost of the club as it strove for greater heights.
For the younger players who the president urged to focus on their education along with their young careers, he promised that the club will continue to reward its young players for their efforts in both fields.
A special praise was showered upon former first-class spinner and national coach Garvin Nedd who the president said was the driving force behind the success of the players, especially the younger cricketers.
Nedd, Mentore said, spends effortless time behind those players ensuring they are well equipped for the next stage in their blooming careers. He wished the coach all the best and said that he hoped that he will continue to pass on his knowledge in the days to come.
In closing Mentore noted that the club will continue to develop the young players while the older cricketers will have the continued support they need.
He said that it was his hope that the divided state of cricket in the country which has been plaguing the sport for some time can be rectified and that 2014 will be the year of togetherness for the various entities even as the players aim for the sky.
Caption: President of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) Alfred Mentore, Roger Harper, Clive Lloyd, Garvin Nedd, Travis Dowlin
