NEWLY-elected president of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Hilbert Foster, last Saturday hosted a highly successful ‘Face the Clubs’ meeting in the Upper Corentyne area at the Riverton Suite, Corriverton.

The meeting was part of a countywide consultation programme to inform all Berbice clubs of the Board’s plans for 2018 and most importantly to listen to recommendations from the grassroots levels.

The first meeting was held in the Lower Corentyne district and would be taken to New Amsterdam/Canje, Berbice River and West Berbice. A total of 20 teams attended the meeting.

The BCB president, in a comprehensive one-hour report on his Board’s plans for 2018, urged the clubs to work as a collective unit and to prepare for the busiest calendar in the history of cricket in the Upper Corentyne.

He noted that the Ramnaresh Sarwan 40-over tournament has started with 24 teams in the area, while the Magic Moments 20/20 tournament would bowl off on Saturday at venues across Upper Corentyne. Among other tournaments coming up are a double-wicket tournament, Berbice-wide 40-over Second Division and another 20/20.

Upper Corentyne would also be involved in the Berbice-wide coaching programme with 50 young cricketers between ages 12 and 18 being coached by five highly qualified coaches.
The Upper Corentyne would also be hosting its own cricket academy for the first time, while outstanding cricketers would be recognised and honoured at an upcoming Awards Ceremony that would be held in early May, 2018.

Trophies and medals for the Awards Ceremony would be donated by the 10 cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club.
The BCB president also announced to the delighted club officials that the Board in 2018 would be hosting Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, Under-21, Female, Inter-Secondary School, Second Division and First Division tournaments in each of the five zones – Upper Corentyne, Lower Corentyne, New Amsterdam/Canje, West Berbice and Berbice River.

Other plans unveiled included educational cricket posters, Berbice Cricket Academy, Elite Training Programme, Berbice Awards Ceremony, Cricket Review Magazine and Tribute to Heroes among others. Foster also disclosed that BCB is in discussion with an overseas supplier to obtain cheap balls and equipment for clubs.

The BCB urged the executives of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association to always listen to advice from clubs, to meet regularly with them and to be accountable. He pledged to meet with the clubs during the year on a regular basis and to work along with them to get them properly organised.

Foster also pledged to run the BCB in a transparent, open and accountable way and invited clubs to visit the Board Office as often as possible, to follow the BCB on its facebook page and to tune in to its monthly television programmes.