Dear Editor,
Something has got to be rotten in Guyana’s cricket as the people involved in its management seem more interested in settling scores with others whom they view as enemies. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTYSC) has only one mandate, “To serve others”, and we have done so very successfully over the last 27 years.
On the cricket field, our achievements in assisting cricketers, clubs and schools are unmatched, and no other cricket club invests in its membership like us. On Thursday, 14th September, 2017, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club launched its ninth cricket team. The Rose Hall Poonai’s Pharmacy Under-13 team was officially launched with the sponsor handing over a cheque to Club Patron, President David Granger, to the value of $150 000.00 . The main objectives of the team are to feed the club’s Under-15 team with players, to expose our younger generation of cricketers to the game at an early age, and to mould them to be proper sport ambassadors for the club.
On Monday, all of us at the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club were busy hosting our 525th programme for the year, the GBTI Inter-Secondary School Tapeball Competition, when Mr Colin Stuart of the Guyana Cricket Board called me using telephone number 226 0534 at 11:48 hours.
To my utter shock and disbelief, Mr Stuart informed me that he was mandated to call me. According to him, the Guyana Cricket Board was informed that the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club was organising an Under-13 Tournament and he wished to inform me that only the Guyana Cricket Board could give such permission. In total anger and disgust, I gave Mr Stuart a tongue-lashing and cut off the phone call.
How in heaven’s name can the Guyana Cricket Board get information that an Under-13 Tournament was being organised when no such tournament would be organised. Who gave the Guyana Cricket Board that false information, and what was their motive? It seemed to me that the Guyana Cricket Board has a special interest in the affairs of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club as this is the second time that Colin Stuart has called our office. The other time was to find out about our list of players.
Even if the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club was organising an Under-13 Tournament, isn’t it better to encourage than to discourage? Dozens of cricket clubs and individuals on a weekly basis organise unauthorised cricket and they have never received a phone call from the Guyana Cricket Board or the Berbice Cricket Board. Phone calls or emails are not sent to us about tournaments, meetings and trials, but our telephone number is on speed dial for total nonsense. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club has never and would never be puppet to anyone. We would continue to work hard every day to develop cricket in Berbice and all the cricket clubs in the Ancient County know who have their interest at heart. There are too many people involved in cricket just for the glamour and settling scores. Simple advice that I would like to share with all cricket officials is to never let others use you for their own selfish agenda, to always work for the benefit of cricketers and to always strive for excellence. This is from a club official who has twenty-seven years of success at the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club. Another point that is worthy of note is that no dictatorship lasts forever.
Yours faithfully,
Hilbert Foster
Secretary/CEO
RHTYSC