DEMERARA Cricket Club’s (DCC) three national players in West Indies opener Travis Dowlin, Christopher Barnwell and Derwin Christian yesterday pledged to make a substantial financial support towards the further development of the club.
This announcement was made by the club’s president and former national player Alfred Mentore

at the closing ceremony of the Queenstown-based club’s first summer cricket camp, which was the brainchild of, and conducted by, coach Gavin Nedd.
In his brief remarks, the 33-year-old Dowlin told the over 60 participants of the camp that it was a humbling experience for him to be present with them at the closing ceremony of another prestigious achievement for the club.
“First of all, let me say how pleased I am to be here experiencing this moment with you guys. I can recall going to practice with big dreams in my head, as I am a very determined individual, and today I can safely say that I have realised my dream which is to play for the West Indies and I am sure many of you have the same dream.
“I do know that many of you have the same dream, but what I wish to say to you is do not be distracted. You will have those who will try to distract you from realising your dream, but I urge you to stay focused, knowing what it is you wish to achieve one day.” stated Dowlin.
Dowlin was not hesitant in saying he hardly finds the time to be around the club, but was quick to mention he is working on a plan where he can give of his time equally to both the club and his family.
While he did not make a full commitment with regard to being present at next year’s summer camp, he did vow to make his presence felt by imparting some of his knowledge to the participants once he is available.
Barnwell urged the participants to remain focused and keep working on what they would have learnt over the past two weeks and put it into practice as it will serve them well in the future.
Asked to express his thoughts on the camp and the performance of his charges over the past two weeks, Nedd, who expressed his gratitude to the president for allowing him to proceed with the camp, was apprehensive at the beginning, thinking about the number of participants who will turn up.
“I must thank the president for expressing his confidence in me to organise and conduct this camp at such a short notice and indeed it was a pleasure for me to be able to work with all the young potential cricketers,” said Nedd.
He continued: “On the first day, I asked myself how many participants would be here, but as they started to show up, I got an extra burst of energy to go on. As usual, there are ups and downs in everything you do but how you handle it is what speaks volumes in the end, and I must say that with the help of the participants, I was able to overcome my fear which gave us a successful camp.
“I am looking forward to next year’s summer camp, where there will be added activities to the programme. Also, I have always visualised this club having a practice facility at some point of the ground and I hope that the pledge made by the three cricketers would make that a reality.”
Eight-year-old Raymond Ollivierre who hails from Connecticut, USA, was named the best student of the camp, for which he received a plaque while 13-year-old Tevin Imloch was named the best batsman and he received a bat from Barnwell.