Port Mourant cricketing legends have helped put Guyana on the map

THE Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club in Corentyne, Berbice, Guyana, sandwiched between Portuguese Quarters on the east and Williamsburg on the west (is the cricket field in Portuguese Quarters or Rose Hall Town?), under the stewardship of the Fosters, ought to be commended on the phenomenal successes it continues to enjoy.

Of course contributions from its main donor, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, plus several additional sources, numbering in the hundreds, make life a lot easier and have enabled RHTYSC to leapfrog and leave its competitors in the dust – lagging far behind. If this were an eight furlong horse race, most of the other clubs would probably be five furlongs back and fading fast.

In any event, be that as it may, one cannot, and must not detract from the tremendous accomplishments of the club. More than likely their extraordinary success is a testament to the intelligence, hard work, perseverance, dedication, commitment and terrific marketing skills of their officers and members. And we must not forget the precision execution of their plan!

Hey, maybe that is why one of the legends of Port Mourant, the affable and knowledgeable Mr. Basil Butcher, elected to establish a Cricket Development Trust Fund with RHTYSC rather than Port Mourant Cricket Club.“ To develop any sport you must have a program. If there is no program in place then you will be working on a hit and miss basis. But with a program, you know where you are going and you can work to get there. You should also have past players involved at the administrative level.” So says Mr. Butcher upon presenting a check to Mr. Ravindranauth Kissoonlall, an officer of RHTSCC in May 2008. Conversely, it could be that he is dissatisfied with Port Mourant Cricket Club.

One would have thought the venerable Port Mourant Cricket Club, boasting illustrious sons of yesteryear such as the quasi-reclusive Kanhai – residing in England, the affable Kallicharran – residing in England, Solomon – played an integral part in the first tied Test match when he unleashed a throw from the boundary, hitting the stumps, running out Ian Meckiff by yards – residing in the US, Butcher, Madray, Trim (deceased – God rest his soul), Nagamootoo etc. would have been among those in the upper echelons rather than clinging on for dear life to the lower rungs of the ladder.

Many a time I was asked what did Port Mourant great cricketers of the past contribute to the club. As I am not privy to this information, I usually answer, “along with President Jagan, they have placed Port Mourant and Guyana on the world map.” It could also be asked what have others who had affiliations with the club, whether as players, administrators etc., contributed? Again, I do not know the answer to this vexing question. Perhaps one could contact Mr. Permaul, a long serving official of the club, and get the answer.

Any astute cricket fan knows the Australians produce cricketers as though they come off the assembly line. In the context of Berbice cricket, one could reasonably argue that RHTYSC has emulated the Australians, churning out cricketer after cricketer. Percival, the Crandon brothers, Fudadin, Hicks, Batson etc. – they keep on coming off the assembly line.

Much deserved congratulations to RHTYSC and all its honorees.
Members, Mr. Hilbert Fraser and other officers, take a bow! Legends of Port Mourant, New York salutes you and wishes you continued success.
RAY SUNDAR

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