The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) under the Cricket Kindness Project recently handed over a large quantity of cricket gear to several clubs in Berbice.
The presentation was done during the BCB’s gala Brian Ramphal Awards Ceremony at the St. Francis Community Developers Training Centre, Rose Hall Town and was done by Sir Andy Roberts and Roland Butcher who are ambassadors for the England-based cricket charity organization, Cricket Kindness.
President of the BCB, Hilbert Foster said in late 2020, he was approached by Butcher, who wanted his blessings to submit the BCB’s name to Tamara J. Lowe of Cricket Kindness for a donation of cricket gear.
Foster readily agreed and later submitted a comprehensive project document to Lowe. Cricket Kindness agreed to assist the county but the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic slowed plans until a shipment eventually left England in late 2021.
“The shipment included a large collection of bats, batting pads, batting gloves, wicket keeping pads, wicket keeping gloves, cricket boots and uniforms among others,” a release from the BCB stated.
“The BCB, several weeks ago, assisted 72 youth cricketers with personal gear via a raffle system. The players were selected by their respective clubs and sub associations,” the BCB release stated.
Among the clubs benefitting from the donations are Achievers, Cotton Tree, Mt. Sinai, Tucber Park, Rose Hall Canje, Guymine, Scottsburg, Radha Krishna and Skeldon.
Cricket Kindness is based in England and is the brainchild of Australia-born Lowe, a passionate lover of the game. The Charity group receives donations of gear from across England and the gear are shipped to countries in the Caribbean like Barbados, Antigua and St. Kitts.
This is the first time that Guyana has benefitted. Foster expressed the BCB gratitude to Lowe and her band of sports ambassadors which also include Chris Lewis, Sir Richie Richardson and Sir Vivian Richards.
Special thanks were also made to Minister of Sports Charles Ramson Jnr., and the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports for their assistance in obtaining duty free concessions from the Guyana Revenue Authority. The BCB also expressed thanks to the Management of ECU Worldwide for shipping the gear from England to Guyana free of cost and also to Carl Griffith of Laparkan.
