Dear Editor,
During my limited spare time, my favourite thing to do is to watch a television programme “Crime Watch”. It is quite amazing to watch as detective work against great odds to solve very difficult cases. As a fan of the show, I am seriously considering writing in to the producers for them to solve the mystery of how Blairmont Cricket Club won the Guyana Club of the Year 2018 Award over the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, Demerara Cricket Club and even the Albion Cricket Club.
To compare Blairmont Cricket Club’s record of achievement to the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club,
would be like comparing the batting record of Lara, Richards and Chanderpaul to Walsh, Croft and Glenn Mc Grath. There is no comparison, yet the wisdom tank of our National Cricket Board committed the biggest heist in the history of the World. Blairmont in 2018 won the Elizabeth Styles Under-21, West Berbice Magic Moments 20/20 Tournament and was Runner-up in their own Roy Fredericks Memorial and the BCB New York Business Group Under-19 Tournaments.
The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club in 2018
won the following tournaments:
1) Ramnaresh Sarwan Under-17.
2) BCB New York Business Group Under-19.
3) Lower Corentyne Magic Moments 20/20,
4) Naeem Nasir Memorial.
5) Roy Fredericks Memorial.
6) Patron’s Cup First Division.
7) Skyy Vodka First Division 20/20.
8) Pepsi First Division 50-Overs.
9) Brian Ramphal First Division Double Wicket.
10) Raffik Construction 100 Balls.
11) Rhonda Lewis Memorial 20/20.
Additionally we were the Runner up of:
1) Da Silva Under-13.
2) Mike’s Pharmacy Under-15.
3) Elizabeth Styles Under-21.
At the time of the Award, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS is currently waiting to play in three other Finals:
1) Nand Persaud Co. Ltd Females.
2) Busta Champion of Champions First Division 40-Overs.
3) Ivan Madray Memorial First Division 100 Balls.
In terms of players produced for Guyana, here are the facts:
1. RHTYSC Guyana Under-15 – Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall,
Jeremy Sandia.
Blairmont Cricket Club – Nil.
2. RHTYSC Under-17 – Nil.
Blairmont Cricket Club – Seon Glasgow, Nigel Deodat.
3. RHTYSC Under-19 – Junior Sinclair, Kevin Sinclair and Kevlon Anderson.
Blairmont Cricket Club – Javed Karim.
4. RHTYSC Guyana Under-19 Females – Shabiki Gajnabi, Uma Matadin, Rushana
Lynch, Sheneeta Grimmond.
Blairmont Cricket Club – Nil.
5. RHTYSC Guyana Senior Females – Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings,
Shabiki Gajnabi, Melanie Henry, Sheneeta Grimmond, Plaffiana Millington.
Blairmont Cricket Club Guyana Senior Females – Nil.
6. RHTYSC First Class – Clinton Pestano, Assad Fudadin (Jamaica).
Blairmont Cricket Club First Class – Nil.
7. RHTYSC West Indies Selection/Training Camp – Shemaine Campbelle,
Sheneeta Grimmond, Shabiki Gajnabi, Jonathan Rampersaud, Kevlon
Anderson.
Blairmont Cricket Club – Nil.
8. Guyana Captaincy – Shabiki Gajnabi, Shemaine Campbelle.
Blairmont Cricket Club – Nil.
Off the Cricket Field, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Teams have completed a combined 300 (three hundred) cricket developmental and community programmes including the largest Cricket Academy. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club has used over $2M of its funds to assist the Berbice Cricket Board in the development of cricket, singlehandedly raised $10M in cash and kind for the Berbice Cricket Board in 2018 and assisted other Clubs with over $3M worth of gears, balls, stumps, scorebooks and trophies. Dozens of young cricketers in Berbice got their cricket balls through the tireless effort of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club while of course we remain the only Club in Guyana to have a Female Team. This list can go on much longer but our case has been made. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club does not work for Awards as our main objective is to offer alternatives to youths from a life of crime and drugs. In a small way we are disappointed but we would continue to make a positive difference as we are currently doing with our multi-million Christmas Charity Programme.
West Indies Cricket is at the bottom of an endless dark pit and we would remain there unless our cricket administrators develop a Cricket First Policy. In Guyana, there is too much politics in our cricket with blind loyalty being the most important asset. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club’s main problem is that we have never been a puppet for anyone and as long as I remain the Secretary/CEO, we never will. Anyone who worked with us in the past, would know that we work along with anyone inspite of who they voted for, race or creed.
As President of the Berbice Cricket Board, I have gone out of my way to work with every Club and official even those who love to criticize when doing nothing and who are even very disrespectful. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club would be very grateful if the powers that be can explain to the Guyanese public why Blairmont Cricket Club was named Club of the Year and what was the criteria used.
Yours faithfully,
Hilbert Foster,
Secretary/CEO,
RHTYSC
