THE Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTYSC) last Sunday hosted the second presentation ceremony of the annual Basil Butcher/Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Development Trust Fund, with a total of 12 Under-15 cricketers receiving $350 000 worth of cricket equipment and educational materials.

Former Guyana and West Indies cricketer Basil Butcher (fourth from right) and president of the Berbice Cricket Board Keith Foster (left) pose with the awardees and Butcher family members.

The event, which was held at the club’s Area ‘H’ ground head office, was organised under their annual cricket development programme with the main aim of assisting young cricketers to fulfil their potentials and become positive role models to others.

Hilbert Foster, Secretary/CEO of the Club which was named Club-of-the-Year by the Guyana Cricket Board last year, in a preview of the programme, stated that the club was committed to cricket development in Berbice and Guyana and that is why each year they invest millions of dollars to assist clubs, young cricketers and cricket associations.

Foster stated that the RHTYSC wants every cricket club to reach the same level as it has done, as it would lift the standard of the game in the Ancient County. He disclosed that the club would be sharing out over $1.3M worth of sports gear to clubs across Berbice next week in an effort to offer sports as an alternative to a life of crime and drugs.

Addressing the young cricketers directly, the Secretary/CEO advised them to dream big of becoming the next Basil Butcher but they must be prepared to work hard, to be disciplined at all times and to learn to listen and put into practice good advice.

Parents of the awardees were cautioned to invest more time into their children’s cricketing career and also to be the best role models for them. The long-serving cricket administrator also urged the parents to make sure that their children stay in school and obtain an education as it is the key to success.

President of the Club, Keith Foster, who is also head of the BCB expressed his satisfaction of the high level of the game in the county and noted that much more has to be done not only to maintain it, but also to reach for more success.

The president stated that the RHTYSC and Mr Butcher were investing a lot into the game’s future and challenged the twelve young awardees to take full advantage of the confidence placed in them. Sponsor of the Trust Fund, Mr Basil Butcher, in a forceful and emotional address stated that the present state of Guyana and West Indies cricket was a nightmare to past Test players like himself who had worked so hard to uplift the game.

Cricket, the veteran of 44 Test matches noted, was a central part of life in the Caribbean and is the only thing that brings unity to the people in the region, adding that this annual investment is his way of giving back to the game and the county of Berbice, as cricket allowed him to have a good lifestyle and also taught him the importance of hard work, discipline and dedication.

He called on the young cricketers to fully dedicate themselves to the game and to work hard on all aspects – fielding, bowling, batting, physical fitness, mental fitness, as they were all important.

Noting that cricket is now more about money, he cautioned the Under-15 players to play the game for the love of it and success would be certain. Butcher, who also had a long and successful career as cricket administrator called on cricket leaders in Guyana to stop the in-fighting in the game and to place more emphasis on the players than on position and power.

The Butcher family, including Basil Butcher, his wife Pam and daughter Blossom, a visiting Barrister-at-Law from Washington DC, handed over the equipment and educational packages to the twelve awardees.

Among the items received by the players were cricket boots, batting pads and a complete set of cricket uniforms while they also received educational and hygiene materials worth $10 000 each.

Those receiving were Kumar Madray and Nicholas Cameron of Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, Lalchand Ramoo of West Berbice, Raju Singh of Port Mourant, Nick Ceres of Scottsburg, Shimron Hetmyer of Young Warriors, Andre Grant of Rose Hall, Canje, Dwayne Sukhlall of Kildonan, Parmanand Ramdhan of Blairmont, Quacy Mickle of Police, Vishnu Kasinauth of Chesney and Romario De Jonge of Tucber Park.
They were selected based on performances at the Under-13 and Under-15 levels, discipline and potential for the future.