THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) launched the second phase of its coaching programme for junior cricketers by hosting a highly successful junior captains seminar at the Albion Community Centre last Sunday.
A total of 40 cricketers from the Under-13 to Under-19 levels, both male and female, attended the seminar, as the BCB seeks to prepare future leaders of the game on and off the cricket field.
Treasurer of the BCB, Anil Beharry, declared the one-day seminar open with a message to the junior captains to lead by example and to always strive for excellence, while urging them to take advantage of the numerous opportunities being organised by the BCB to improve themselves.
Educator Zaheer Moakan spoke on the topics: What is Leadership and The Importance of Discipline and Education for Leaders, while coach Julian Moore lectured the youths on the responsibility of a captain and the relationship with players and officials. He also led an hour-long discussion on field placement and strategies.
Beharry spoke on Code of Conduct of Captains and Cricketers while Public Relations Officer of the BCB, Hilbert Foster, led a lively one-hour discussion on Personal and Public Manners, Public Speaking and the role of a Sports Ambassador.
First class umpire and president of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council (GCUC), Dhieranidranauth Somwaru, spoke to the attentive junior cricketers on the topic: Laws of Cricket a Captain should know and Cricketing Signals by an Umpire.
BCB president Keith Foster in making the closing remarks told the youths his board was investing heavily into their cricketing careers because they are the future.
He stated that great leaders lead by example and urged them to do so on and off the cricket field, while predicting a bright future for cricket in the Ancient County, because the BCB was investing in youths that would grow to dominate the game in Guyana over the next two decades.
Chairman of the BCB’s Special Events Committee, Hilbert Foster, disclosed that the seminar was the start of phase two of the Board’s coaching programme for junior cricketers, with phase one consisting of four clinics for fast bowlers, spinners, batsmen and wicketkeepers from which an elite training squad of 55 talented junior cricketers were selected.
Phase two of the programme will include seminars to improve their knowledge of the game and personal responsibility, while the Annual Cricket Academy, which is another part of phase two, will be used to identify, correct and expose the cricketers to a higher level of play.
All the captains agreed at the end of the seminar that it was a total success and they were better prepared to be captains at the different levels.
Among the cricketers present were West Indies women’s player Shemaine Campbell, Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, Quacy McPherson, Shimron Hetmyer, Shailendra Shameer, Veerapen Permaul and Parmanand Narine.
Meanwhile the Berbice Cricket Board and Matrix Video Production continued the filming of the historic coaching DVD on the same day at the same venue, with several lectures being taped along with a segment on the Importance of Physical Fitness.
Members of the senior Berbice cricket team were involved in the physical display while Somwaru was also involved in the taping of a six-minute segment on Umpiring Signals and the Laws of Cricket. Taping continued yesterday with fielding and bowling coaching sessions.