THE students attending the East Bank Demerara Cricket Association (EBDCA) annual cricket academy were yesterday told by president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Chetram Singh to make full use of the opportunity and aim high to be a West Indies cricketer. Singh made this declaration at the opening ceremony of the resuscitated academy which was held at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, and will last for the next eight days.
The young aspiring cricketers will learn the fundamentals of the game, while several cricketing experts are expected to share their knowledge throughout the daily sessions which will run from 09:00 h to 16:00 h each day.
President of the EBDCA, Rohan Sarjoo, was also on hand to welcome the players and stated that the camp seeks to attract between 60 to 75 male and female youths ranging in ages from 11 to18 drawn from the East Bank Demerara area including Linden and Upper Demerara.
The camp will consist of theoretical sessions on various topics, practical coaching and cricket match sessions along audio-visual sessions. Sarjoo was very much impressed with the turnout yesterday, where 37 youths attended the first day’s session and the number is likely to increase.
The major objectives are to instil the basic cricketing skills required to be a professional athlete, making these youngsters aware of the finer points of the game, including the rules and etiquette required for the proper conduct of the game, teaching them the importance of education, nutrition, fitness and the general values of good sportsmanship.
Through this camp and annual camps in the future, the EBDCA hopes to build a database of young aspiring cricketers who will be groomed to represent the Association at the Under-15, U-17 and U-19 levels. The programme has been carefully designed to cater for both theoretical and practical aspects of the game and important life skills.
Several reputable resource personnel have agreed to impart their knowledge and expertise to the camp and these include the secretary of the GCB, Anand Sanasie, former Test player Roger Harper, GCB video analyst Robin Singh, GCB’s Cricket Development Officer (CDO) Reon King and former chairman of the National Sports Council and financial consultant Conrad Plummer.
Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit and retired banker Paul Geer, national scorer Linden Wilson, Help and Shelter officials and counsellors Margaret Kertzious, Karen Gomes and Kevin Massiah are expected to address the participants of the camp.
On Saturday two evenly matched teams will be selected to participate in a 40-over affair and it is intended to be a special day for those selected to have their first match at an international world class venue.
At the closing ceremony, participants of the camp, which has been fully sponsored by several businesses within the East Bank Demerara area and Georgetown, such as: AFS Shipping, Royal Woodworking, King’s Jewellery World, Steve’s Jewellery, Sherry’s Taxi and Sterling Products Limited, just to name a few, will be presented with certificates of participation.