… 250 schools selected
“MANY believe that 13 is an unlucky number, but not for Kiddies Cricket, as this year marks 13 years since we launched the programme in Guyana and with Kiddy Cricket being a teenager this year, we are going to celebrate this birthday with new and fresh initiatives.” Those were the words of Scotiabank’s Marketing Manager Jennifer Cipriani-Nelson at the launching of the 13th annual West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)/Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Scotiabank Kiddies Cricket programme at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) pavilion yesterday.
According to Cipriani-Nelson, Scotiabank will be spending over US$20 000 in this year’s venture which has grown tremendously over the years, having started with 87 schools back in 1999 and will be targeting 250 schools from both the private and public educational systems.
“While Scotiabank is a global entity, we believe in building relationships locally, supporting the communities where we work and live. This is why we continue to be such a strong supporter of West Indies cricket and why we are proud to be the official bank of West Indies cricket.
Our involvement with West Indies cricket dates back to 1998 and one year later, we became the exclusive sponsor of Kiddies Cricket which started with 87 schools and will be involving 250 schools this year,” stated Cipriani-Nelson.
She added, “Recently, our Bright Future Programme, our corporate giving initiative which is targeted at improving the lives of children by contributing millions of dollars and hundreds of hours of employee’s volunteer time, went global to areas such as sports, health, culture and the environment.
Our Kiddies Cricket Programme is an initiative geared towards giving our children a bright future, as it allows them the opportunity to realise their dreams of becoming a great cricketer, like our very own Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul and we are optimistic that it will continue to identify and develop cricketers who will restore our level of cricket to the glory we once knew.”
GCB’s Cricket Development Officer (CDO) Reon King outlined this year’s programme which includes a Mascot Competition that will run from January 1 to February 18, Introduction to Cricket Coaching for Teachers and Volunteers, Kiddies Cricket Festival and Kiddy Cricket Easter Vacation Clinic.
According to King, the Introduction to Cricket Coaching for Teachers and Volunteers programme is being used to gear those individuals to execute the duties of a coach in the absence of a certified GCB coach – a programme mandated by the WICB.
King further stated that the WICB has made a strategic position to include Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket into their grassroots development programme to provide the foundation and support for the development of West Indies cricket, which is critical to returning West Indies cricket to the pinnacle of world cricket.
Outgoing president of the GCB and director of the WICB, Chetram Singh, welcomed the initiative once again and urged the students to take full advantage of same, while informing the students of St Agnes Primary School, they along with other students will be on show when Pakistan visit Guyana for the fifth limited overs international and first Test match against the West Indies.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Pulandar Kandhi, lauded the officials of both Scotiabank and GCB for having the Kiddies Cricket Programme once again, following which the students along with Singh and Kandhi were involved in a mini match on the outskirts of the GCC ground.