Two under-13 youth cricketers on Wednesday last each benefitted from a donation of a bicycle as the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) continues to make a positive difference in the lives of youths in the Ancient County.
The donation was done under the auspices of the BCB/ Michael Ramdeen Memorial Trust Fund. The two players receiving the cycles were Antonio Depaul and Sohail Mohammed.
BCB President, Hilbert Foster, stated that the players were selected by the management of the Chesney Cricket Club and the Edinburgh Cricket Club based on their discipline, attitude and promise for the future.
Foster, who is also vice-president of the Guyana Cricket Board and Director of Cricket West Indies, stated that former Berbice player, Kevin Ramdeen contacted him with the idea of assisting youth cricketers with bicycles in memory of his late father, who was an outstanding cricket administrator in Canje.
The late Michael Ramdeen served as the cricket coach for the Rose Hall Canje Community Centre Cricket Club for a long period and was highly respected. His two sons, Kevin and Richard Ramdeen both played at the junior level.
Richard played for the West Indies at the under-19 level and also represented Guyana at the senior level including the Champions Cup in South Africa.
Under the fund, a total of eight cricketers would receive a bicycle from the BCB, one each month from between the period of May to December. Kevin Ramdeen has also committed himself to assisting several youth players with educational materials during the Christmas season.
The BCB president stated that with the board being unable to host tournaments due to the ongoing rainy season and the Covid-19 pandemic, efforts are being focussed on the off-field activities. He stated that currently, the board is working on a historic youth coaching manual, which is expected to be published in two weeks.
The 32-page manual was specially prepared by eight cricket coaches including Winston Smith, Julian Moore, Travis Hardcourt, Leslie Solomon, and Michael Hyles. Among the topics covered are: batting, fast bowling, off- spin, leg-spin, running between the wicket, wicket-keeping, mental approach to the game, attributes of a good batsman, physical fitness and fielding.
Foster stated that every youth cricketer in the county would receive a copy while the BCB would also donate several copies to players in Demerara and Essequibo. Kevin Ramdeen noted that he was very impressed by the Hilbert Foster-led administration and was delighted to invest in the development of players and the game.
He stated that the game of cricket had enabled him to follow his dreams and shaped him into a very disciplined and focussed individual. Ramdeen also noted the role his late father played in his life and said that he was humbled to be involved in a project to honour his dad.
Meanwhile, Foster also handed over a grass cutter to the management of the Chesney Cricket Club under the BCB Ground Enhancement Project. Under this special project, the board has distributed a total of 22 grass cutters to clubs across the county.
The main objective of the project is to assist clubs in the county to prepare their venues for the cricket season. The BCB president urged the president of the club, Narine Deonarine, to take care of the equipment and to use it for its intended purpose.
