“WE have achieved in the last twenty months, what others in Guyana can only dream about and   today, I can safely say is the proudest moment of my presidency.

Two months ago, I was ashamed to invite guests to our office but today, we are now in a better position to offer our services to the general public. The Leslie A. Amsterdam BCB office now reflects the high standards we have set ourselves and all of us involved in Berbice Cricket should be proud”.

The words of BCB President, Hilbert Foster, as he declared the restored Leslie Amsterdam BCB office opened. The restoration of the BCB Office was the main project for its 80th Anniversary programme and was spearheaded by the President, Treasurer, Dr. Cecil Beharry; Administrator, Angela Haniff; PRO Simon Naidu and Executive Member, Neil Rudder.

Foster recalled that on his election on February 18, 2018, it was discovered that the BCB was without its own office and that the old one was not in the best condition. The BCB re-entered into a contract with the owner but Foster stated that the first objective was to get cricket playing on the field and obtaining sponsorship.

With Berbice cricket now on firm footing, it was decided to concentrate on the upgrading of the office. The Leslie Amsterdam Memorial office restoration project included tiling of the entire floor, sealing of the roof with PVC ceiling, upgrading of the electrical system, some repainting of the Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Wall of Fame and obtaining $400,000.00 worth of furniture.

The BCB now has a three-piece chair set, plastic chairs, folding chairs and folding tables, while the office also has its own desktop computer, printer, fax machine, phone set, water dispenser, TV Set, DVD player, water cart, kitchen utensils among others.

Foster stated that the BCB would now be in a better position to serve the general public, host visitors in comfort, store important records in a safe environment, reduce operating cost and honour it’s heroes in a suitable environment.

The BCB would like to express gratitude to Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh, Caribbean Nations Group, Food for the Poor, Guyana Prison Service, Colin Elcock, Devindra Bishoo, Anthony Bramble, Gudakesh Motie, Dr. Puran Singh, RHTYSC, Poonai Pharmacy, D. Balram Shane, Spready’s, Snackette, University of Guyana Tain Campus  and A. Hamid General Store for their support.

Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh, who was present at the rededication ceremony, hailed the outstanding work of the Foster-led BCB administration.

He disclosed that the Charlotte Street location was once a favourite of his as it once housed The Guyana Graphic Bookstore and he praised the restoration work.

Dr. Singh, who has donated millions of his own funds to the development of the game in the Ancient County, stated that he was very impressed by the work of the BCB, its regular reports and its accountability.

The BCB office is named the Leslie Amsterdam Memorial office in tribute to the late president of the board and former outstanding  Berbice and Guyana  batsman – Amsterdam, who  received a national award – Arrowhead of Achievement (AA) – and served as president during the period 1969 and then from 1987 to 1999 when he died from drowning in the Berbice River.