OVER the last decade, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has produced five Test players, namely, Narsingh Deonarine, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Brandon Bess, Devendra Bishoo and Assad Fudadin in that order, while Royston Crandon represented the West Indies at the limited overs level.

Temperamental middle order batsman Jonathan Foo and left-arm orthodox spinner Veerasammy Permaul, represented the West Indies ‘A’ team, with Permaul being named the captain of the team before gaining a Test call-up to the Test team which will tour Bangladesh early next month.
All of those players mentioned above, along with Shawn Pereira, Anthony Bramble, Keon Joseph, Clinton Pestano, Dominic Rikhi, Homchand Pooran and Rajiv Ivan, along with many others represented Berbice at the Inter-county level in various age groups, while they also have one thing in common.
They have all, at one time or the other, competed in the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC)-organised, Guyana Beverage Company (GBC)-sponsored Busta ‘Champion of Champions’ knockout tournament, which was launched for the 10th year yesterday.
At a presentation ceremony held in the Diamond, East Bank Demerara-based boardroom of the beverage distribution company, Managing Director of GBC Robert Selman said the way RHTYSC runs the tournament is second to none.
“Couple of years ago, we went to Berbice and were renting a building there and eventually because of the help of the people in Berbice, we were able to build our own warehouse, one of the best in Berbice and Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, played a very important part in that.
They have carried the Busta brand for the last eight years, ups and downs, but the way they have run the competition and spread the name Busta is second to none. The organising people, who organise this competition, do a great job,” stated Selman.
He lauded the club for the efforts they have put into making the tournament a successful one over the last nine years, adding that if it was not run in a professional manner, certainly the sponsorship would have been withdrawn from the club forthwith.
“I want Foster and his people to make sure the tournament is run good. No fighting, no pelting of bottles to destroy the company’s image and name and so far we have never had anything like that and I wish to thank them very much, but whenever it does happens, the sponsorship will cease.”
Selman reflected on the ICC T20 World Cup that was won by the West Indies, whose team did not have a single Guyanese, saying that it was a sad sight, since Guyana has produced several top quality cricketers for West Indies over the years.
In his remarks, Secretary/CEO of the RHTYSC Hilbert Foster assured Selman that this year’s tournament of which the Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets (RHTGG) are the defending champions and eight times winner, will be well organised with good accountability.
He said the objective of the tournament is to highlight the rich cricketing talents in Berbice, promote sports as a positive avenue for youths and at the same time help to promote the ‘Say No to Drugs’ message.
Eight teams, namely RHTGG,< Albion, Skeldon, Universal DVD Club Young Warriors, West Berbice, Port Mourant, Memorex Bermine and Blairmont will do battle for supremacy when the tournament bowls off next Wednesday with four first-round matches.
“This tournament promises to be an exciting one, with players like Joseph, Bess, Fudadin, Ivan, Chattergoon, Bishoo, Deonarine, Gajanand Singh, Delbert Hicks, Richard Ramdeen, Zamal Khan and Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai representing their respective teams,” stated Foster.
The burly Foster said the organising club, who will be providing coloured T-shirts, white balls for matches, drinks for snacks and stand the cost for umpires’ fees, is very proud to be associated with the GBC for a ninth time, exuding confidence in his organising committee to make this year’s tournament a success.
“Cricketers playing the game in Berbice can consider themselves the most fortunate in the Caribbean and even the world, since a record 25 tournaments are being planned for 2012 and early 2013, at all levels.
The Berbice Cricket Board with strong support from RHTYSC intends to make Berbice the role model for cricket administration and with over 160 off-the-field activities completed for this year so far, we are well on our way to making that a reality,” added Foster.
He expressed his club’s gratitude to Selman and his Marketing Manager Shamiza Yadram and their staff for their assistance over the years, along with the role they have been playing in keeping the Busta Cup alive during that period.
The fixtures for the first round will see Albion take on Skeldon at Albion, Universal DVD Club Young Warriors meet West Berbice at Cumberland, RHTGG face Port Mourant at Area ‘H’ and Memorex Bermine clash with Blairmont at Blairmont.