-Preparation starts for 2021 Junior season

THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) will be bowling off plans to get their 2021 Junior season off with the club’s ongoing COVID-19 project continuing to reach clubs and umpires across the Ancient County.
“This cricket board is fully committed to the overall welfare of our young players, on and off the cricket field, and we not only talk the talk, but are also prepared to walk the walk.
“We are aware of the danger of the Covid-19 pandemic and, as such, we want to protect our players as much as possible.”
Those were the expressions made by Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) president, Hilbert Foster, at a special presentation ceremony at the Area H ground to distribute COVID-19 protective items to representatives of over 20 clubs with junior sections.

The donation was a two-hundred and twenty thousand dollar($220,000) investment by the BCB and was made possible through donations from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), former inter county player, Ishwar Singh, and the RHTY&SC.
The BCB President stated that the board is preparing to start its 2021 junior cricket tournaments at the under 13,15,17 and 19 levels and, as such, is working overtime to make sure that it plays its part in making sure that every player and official is properly protected during the ongoing pandemic.
The BCB and the RHTY&SC, has already published a Covid-19 educational poster which has been widely distributed to clubs across Berbice while clubs have also benefited from donations of food hampers for less fortunate members. Representatives of the clubs received 200 face masks, fifteen face shields and bottles of hand sanitizers each, with the promise of more to come as the board obtains further sponsorship.

Among the clubs that received the items were Linepath CC, Rama Krishna Academy, Scottsburg CC, No 72 Cut and Load, No 73 CC, Port Mourant CC, Albion CC, Young Warriors CC, Tucber Park CC, Rose Hall Canje CC, Edinburgh CC, Blairmont, Bush Lot Rising Star, Achievers, Guymine and East Bank Blazers.
The BCB president announced that all junior players would be required to wear a mask off the field along with a face shield, while they would also be required to sanitize their hands regularly. Clubs would shortly receive, in writing, the rules they are expected to follow for their own safety.
The board also handed over five hundred face masks and a set of face shields to the Berbice Cricket Umpires Association as part of their continued assistance to umpires.
President of the Association, Joseph Simon, expressed his appreciation to the BCB and hailed the outstanding work of the Foster administration over the last three years to lift Berbice cricket even higher.
BCB Secretary, Angela Haniff, expressed gratitude to Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, and Ishwar Singh for their investment in Berbice cricket and urged the clubs to make sure that the items are used for the intended purposes.