Dear Editor,
The Berbice Cricket Stakeholders Committee unequivocally supports Mr Hilbert Foster for the presidency of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB). Mr Foster, the Secretary/CEO of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club has over the years been in the forefront of cricket development and young people across Berbice and by extension, across Guyana. Mr Foster without doubt was instrumental in the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) being awarded the Medal of Service, a first for any sports organisation in this country. Both in his capacity as Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC and also in his personal capacity he has touched the lives of so many people in this country. He assisted sports organisations, schools, students, persons affected by disasters, the sick, the feeble, and the list goes on. He has unflinchingly supported even those who are now trying to destroy him, eg the West Berbice Cricket Association. It is therefore no wonder that Hilbert Foster enjoys so much support.
Mr Foster, during his tenure at the BCB between the years 2008-14 was at the helm of the Special Events Committee. During this period the Board achieved unprecedented success by hosting the most activities by a single sports organisation nationally, and he should be commended for this feat. This level of success even the Guyana Cricket Board, with all the subventions of the Berbice Cricket Board that it held back, could not match. It is admirable that this simple hardworking gentleman could have secured so much financing to run all these activities (approximately 1700), while the GCB withheld subventions from the BCB at the behest of an official from the GCB who wants to control the BCB at all costs.
The Berbice Cricket Board Stakeholders Committee therefore joins the growing list of players, businesses, sports clubs, etc, in urging Mr Foster to run for the presidency of the BCB. It is our belief that with his ability, honesty, integrity, vision and zeal to succeed, Berbice cricket would reach greater heights than ever before and achieve development in cricket.
The Berbice Cricket Stakeholders Committee notes with disgust the vulgar attempts by persons to malign his character and we have nothing but pity for them, for as the saying goes, ‘When you can’t get the grapes, you say they’re sour’. There is no doubt that these misguided persons lack vision and are blind to developments around them in the cricketing arena, and should ask themselves why clubs in their areas and those that they support cannot achieve similar success.
Berbice cricket under the illegal committee of Messrs Somwaru, Allicock, Black, Seubarran and others has achieved nothing but the destruction of cricket in Berbice. They introduced fees for teams to participate in second division cricket, forced players to change clubs, etc, and one is forced to ask if these are the people we want to manage cricket in Berbice? The answer is a resounding no.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
