THE newly-elected Executive of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has already started to make inroads on the game in the county with the launching of two cricket tournaments for the 2018 season.

The launch took place less than 48 hours after the executives were elected and represents the first major cricket sponsorship to Berbice Cricket over the last 18 months. The tournaments are an U-17 Inter-club and a 40-Overs Cricket League for teams in the Upper Corentyne area.

Both of the tournaments are being sponsored by former West Indies ccptain Ramnaresh Sarwan and friends.
The Fitness 53 Gym Under-17 tournament will be for players born on or after September 1, 2001, and would be open to any club in the Ancient County.

The main objectives are to identify players for the BCB Coaching Programmes; to assist players to successfully transit to the Under-19 level and to inspire players to stay involved in the game.

The top two teams of the U-17 tournament will receive financial prizes while top players would receive educational materials in an effort to assist their development in school.
The 40-Over League is open to teams in the Upper Corentyne area and would be administered by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association under the leadership of Dennis De Andrade.

BCB president Hilbert Foster expressed delight that cricket will once again be played between clubs. Over the last two years, cricket was played only by junior cricketers at the Inter-zone levels.

Teams will be divided into at least eight groups with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals. Interested teams are urged to register with the BCB as early as possible and to make sure that they start preparations to play at the Under-15, Under-19, Under-21, Female, Intermediate, Second Division and First Division levels.

The newly-elected president stated that his Board would be working beyond the call of duty to ensure that every cricketer in Berbice fulfils his/her true potentials. Foster hailed the support of Ramnaresh Sarwan, who he stated is a positive role model and friend of Berbice cricket. The former West Indies batting icon benefitted a lot from playing cricket and is committed to giving back.

Foster also issued an appeal to former Berbice, Guyana and West Indies players to assist the Berbice Cricket Board to return Berbice Cricket to its rightful place by offering their skills and experience. He assured Sarwan and friends that both tournaments will be well organised and expressed confidence that the relationship would be strengthened in the future.

Sarwan, who was absent from the launch, in an invited comment stated that he was pleased to assist Berbice Cricket as he had full confidence in its newly-elected management. He pledged his support in the future and disclosed that he would be seeking the support of others as the BCB seeks to fulfil its mandate.

Ramnaresh Sarwan was without doubt one of Guyana’s finest batsmen and played 87 Test matches for the West Indies, scoring 5 842 runs with 15 centuries at an average of 40.01. At the One-Day International level, Sarwan scored 5 804 runs in 181 matches with five centuries. Overall he scored 13 405 first class runs with 33 centuries.