– 10 players  to benefit as part of Basil Butcher Trust Fund

V-Net Communications in partnership with the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) handed over a number of cricket gear to players in Linden, compliments of the Basil Butcher Trust Fund.

Along with the gear which included pads among other pieces, two bicycles were part of the donation package received by Mr. Bradley Fredericks, who is associated with the promotion of cricket in the Region Ten area.

“He lived most of his life in the township of Linden, he was totally committed to the development of the game there and as such, it is only right that we remember Linden as we pay tribute to the Legacy of the late great Basil Fitzherbert Butcher”, said RHTYSC, Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu regarding the donations.

The cricket gear is expected to be distributed to 10 youth players while two less fortunate players are set to receive the bicycles as means of transportation to and from school.

The full list of gear included helmets, batting gloves, wicket keeping gloves and wicket keeping pads and Club Secretary/CEOHilbert Foster stated that under the first ever Basil Butcher Trust Fund, over one hundred youth cricketers benefitted from donations of cricket gears, bicycles and educational materials.

The main goal of the Trust Fund, said the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) president, is to encourage youths to Say Yes to Education and Sports, to assist young players to fulfill their dreams of playing cricket at the highest level and to promote the legacy of the late Basil Butcher.

Foster also urged Frederick’s to ensure that the most suitable players receive the donated items based on their talent, income status, discipline  and personal attitude. Special thanks was expressed to Chief Executive Officer of V-Net Communications Sarfraz Sheriffudeen.

He lauded V-Net Communications for being a great partner of the RHTYSC, having assisted the club over the years by co-sponsoring its Christmas Village, Cricket development programme, annual award ceremony, annual youth review magazine among others.

The V-Net Chief Executive Officer stated that as a honorary member of the RHTYSC, he was happy to assist in any way possible while pledging to continue doing so in the future.

Butcher, a Berbice Cricket Board Hall of Fame Cricketer played 44 Test matches for the West Indies until his retirement in 1969. He scored 3000 runs at an average of 43.11 with seven test centuries and sixteen half-centuries.

The RHTYSC with support from the BCB under the Trust Fund has shared millions of dollars’ worth of items across Berbice.

They include 3000 food hampers, bicycles, school bags, clocks, medical items, educational materials, cleaning detergents, face masks among others.

The presentation was the final one for the 2020 leg of the fund, which was held as part of Butcher 87th birthday celebration by the ten cricket teams of the club- Poonai Pharmacy Under 12 and Under 13, Farfan and Mendes Under 15, Bakewell Under 17and Second Division, Pepsi Under 19 and Intermediate, Metro Female, Namilco  Thunder Flour Under 21 and First Division.