Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports Charles Ramson Jr., Friday last met with Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) president Hilbert Foster and other executives to discuss the way forward for the sport while officially launching the board’s Brian Ramphal school bags project for young cricketers in the Ancient County.
According to a release from the board, “The Minister and Kashif Muhammad met with BCB executives led by Foster in a very fruitful meeting in the board room of the Albion Sports Complex.”
In attendance were BCB Vice President Albert Smith, Rabindranauth Saywack, Secretary Angela Haniff, Assistant Secretary Ameer Rahaman, Treasurer Dr. Cecil Beharry, Assistant Treasurer Rovin Bahadur, Public Relations Officer Simon Naidu and Lyken Edwards.
According to the release, the Minster used the opportunity to bring the BCB top brass abreast with the current status of the Guyana Cricket Administration Act and praised the outstanding work of the BCB.
Foster provided the Minister with the ongoing efforts of his administration and also the work over the last two years.
“The current executives inherited a board with no funds, no proper cricket tournaments held for years, no developmental programmes in place while the game was slowly falling apart at the grassroots level,” the release stated.
“Two years later, the BCB has raised over $30M in cash and kind, organised over 60 tournaments at all levels, implemented dozens of developmental programmes and assisted clubs as never before,” the release added.
Ramson Jr., committed his ministry to assisting the BCB with funds for some tournaments, cricket coaches and to look into possible ways of assisting with grass cutters. It was also disclosed that an indoor cricket practice centre would be constructed as part of the Albion Community Development Centre ground.
The BCB submitted a list of grounds to Minister Ramson Jr., for possible upgrading by the government. The grounds included were Paradise, Bush Lot, Bath, Lovely Lass, Blairmont, Guymine, Sisters, Hampshire, Fyrish, No 19, Kilcoy and Skeldon.
The Minister was also informed of four motions passed at the BCB Annual General Meeting. Foster at the end of the meeting, expressed gratitude to the Minister for his cooperation and pledged to uphold the high standards the BCB has set itself.
Meanwhile, dozens of young cricketers who attend primary and secondary schools will receive schoolbags and other educational materials from the programme which in 2020 has support from overseas based Guyanese businessman Brian Ramphal and the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club.
Minister Ramson Jr., handed over bags to six Under 15 players from the RHTYSC, Albion and Rose Hall Canje cricket clubs. He urged the players to take care of the bags and also to place special emphasis on the importance of education.
Foster, who is also the Secretary/CEO of the RHTYSC, stated that 100 cricketers will receive school bags as the BCB strongly believes in the value of education. Recently, the board handed out financial stipends to six cricketers who excelled at the 2020 CSEC under the Adana Homes Educational Scheme.
Foster said that the BCB was committed to investing in the educational career of every cricketer and noted that clubs and cricketers have received over $10M in cricket balls, stumps, cricket gears, bicycles, uniforms, educational materials, water pitchers, scorebooks among others since his election as BCB president in February 2018.
He expressed gratitude to Ramphal and the RHTYSC for their continued investment in the development of Berbice Cricket.
