THE long-neglected cricket teams in the Berbice River district have had their plea for cricket tournaments answered when the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club and Food for the Poor (Guy) Inc. joined hands to sponsor a t20 tournament in the area as the Berbice Cricket Board continues to push development of the game in every sub-division of the Ancient County. Secretary/CEO of RHTYSC and Chairman of the BCB Special Events Committee Hilbert Foster at the presentation ceremony which was held last Friday at the Scots Church Annexe Building disclosed that the positive development taking place in Berbice cricket will assist to take the standard of the game even higher.
Noting that the Berbice River teams have been neglected in the past due to the distance from the mainland, Foster expressed the view that this situation would be corrected in the future as the BCB was determined that every district should benefit from its success.
Coaching of youths in the area would also be undertaken by the Berbice Cricket Board as the Board would send in some of its coaches later in the year to host a two-day cricket academy.
Executive Director of Food for the Poor (Guy) Inc. Leon Davis expressed the hope that the t20 tournament would be successful and pledged his organisation’s future assistance to the development of cricket in the Berbice River area.
President of both the RHTYSC and BCB, Keith Foster, said he was pleased that cricketers within the Berbice River area would finally get to play some cricket and that the BCB would seek other ways to develop the game in the area even further.
Representative of the Berbice River Cricket Association, Floyd Benjamin, hailed the launching of the tournament as a red letter day for the area, as the players were hungry for competitions. He showered praise on the BCB, RHTYSC and the Food for the Poor (Guy) Inc.
The teams taking part in the tournament are Wiruni, Ebini, Kimbia, Sand Hill and Fort Nassau.
Davis handed over to Benjamin a quantity of cricket balls, a trophy and $200 000 worth of cricket gear and other items.