THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and Cellink last Thursday shared out cricket balls and stumps worth close to $500 000 to several clubs at the BCB’s office located in New Amsterdam, under Cellink’s sponsorship of Berbice cricket teams, lasting until December 2011. Chairman of the BCB’s Special Events Committee, Hilbert Foster, at the presentation ceremony stated that under Cellink’s $1M sponsorship, a sum of $300 000 was set aside to assist clubs with cricket balls but the BCB decided to invest a further $160 000 to assist some clubs with a set of stumps.
Foster noted that Berbice cricket is at an all-time high and all effort would be made to maintain the high standard in the future.
He praised the management of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) and their Cellink brand for their support of Berbice cricket, especially Mr Wystan Robertson, Ms Rhonda Johnson and Ms Abena Fung.
In giving a brief review of the BCB, Foster stated that cricket was played as never before at all levels while a total of 70 off the field programmes were held.
Treasurer of the BCB, Anil Beharry, expressed his pleasure that the Board was able to assist the clubs as they are the ones who have to produce cricketers to represent the county.
The long-serving executive also hailed the current high state of Berbice cricket saying that much was achieved due to hard work, visionary leadership and forward planning.
President Keith Foster urged the representatives of the club to redouble their efforts and to be pro-active in their planning. He proudly stated that under his leadership the BCB has been transformed from being a mere cricketing body into a pro-active Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which is touching and changing the lives of others.
Berbice Regional Manager of GT&T, James Cummings, handed over the equipment to the clubs which included Blairmont Community Centre, West Berbice Cricket Association, Police, Young Warriors, Edinburgh, Rose Hall Community Centre, Albion Community Centre, Port Mourant, Bermine, Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club and Skeldon Community Centre.
Those clubs along with Mount Sinai, Whim National and Kildonan received a collection of cricket balls.
Mr Dhieranidranauth Somwaru of Chesney, Julian Moore of Bermine and Junior Blair of Skeldon spoke on behalf of the clubs and they all expressed gratitude to the BCB and Cellink for the presentation, while Somwaru praised the BCB for its outstanding stewardship of the game in the Ancient County and called on all involved to continue the progress in 2011.