THE patron, president, executives and the entire membership would like to congratulate our club members, sisters and friends Shabika Gajnabi and Sheneta Grimmond on their international debut against Australia in the current One-Day International series.

Gajnabi and Grimmond are products of the long-standing relationship between RHTY&SC and Metro Office Supplies, the sponsor of Guyana’s only female cricket team, the Rose Hall Town Metro Team.

Gajnabi, during the first ODI, became the third RHTY&SC female member to play for the West Indies while Grimmond became the fourth during the second match.

It was with total pride that we watched as the two RHTY&SC members added 60 runs for the seventh wicket against a dominant Australia bowling unit and earned the praises of former Windies players Kenneth Benjamin and Sir Curtly Ambrose.

Gajnabi joined the club at the tender age of 13 while Grimmond did so at 14 and have both benefitted from the RHTY&SC’s well-organised cricket structure and a simple formula of hard work, faith in God, personal discipline and dedication. They also benefitted from practising daily with their male counterparts and regular coaching sessions with Level Three coach Winston Smith.

“RHTY&SC is very proud of its massive investment into female cricket since 2008 but was bitterly disappointed that we remain the only club in Guyana to do so. It is very sad that our girls have to play against males and we would like to call on other established clubs to invest in female cricket.

Gajnabi, Grimmond have now joined Shemaine Campbelle and Erva Giddings as our International products and with players like Sherica Campbelle, Marian Samaroo, Oma Matadin, Dian Prahalad working hard every day, we are very confident that more RHTY&SC members would soon follow in their footsteps.

“We would like to express gratitude to the Management and Staff of Metro Office and Computer Supplies. The company since 2009 has invested heavily in our female cricketers and special mention must be made of CEO Avia Lindie and Mr T. Jadunath.

The management of RHTY&SC would like to reassure the cricketing public that we would uphold our high standard.

“During the brief 29 years history of the club, we have produced a total of seven players for the West Indies – Campbelle, Giddings, Gajnabi, Grimmond (female), Assad Fudadin (Under-15, Under-19, Test) Royston Crandon (ODI) and Esaun Crandon (Sixes).

Kevlon Anderson is on the verge of making the West Indies Under-19 World Cup Squad while Jonathan Rampersaud was last year named in a West Indies Under-15 training squad.