THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), under the leadership of Hilbert Foster continues to attract sponsorship, as it strives to work hard to develop the game in the Ancient County.

The current leadership under Foster’s guidance in 2018 inherited a meagre $43 000 when it took office and since then has raised over $60M in cash and kind for the unmatched development of Berbice cricket.

Last Monday two of the BCB most faithful sponsors – Dr Puran Singh and Brian Ramphal – informed the board that they would be renewing their annual sponsorship for 2022.

Dr Singh is the younger brother of Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, one of the major sponsor of Berbice cricket and is based in his adopted home of Barbados. He first came on board as a BCB sponsor in 2019 and has invested close to $1M of his personal funds into the county.

In 2022, he would be sponsoring the BCB National Players Scheme at the cost of $350 000. Under the Scheme, BCB would provide a stipend of $10 000 to every Berbician who makes the national team at the Under-15, U-17, U-19 and female levels.

Foster expressed thanks to Dr Singh for his continued support and reassured him that the funds would be used for the intended purpose. The stipend , he stated, would serve as a motivation to the players.

Cricket West Indies (CWI), he stated, is planning to resume cricket at the junior level and the BCB was confident that its players would make up the majority of the different teams due to the massive investment in their development .Dr Singh stated that he was very impressed with the work of the board and its visionary leadership.

He noted that he was very pleased to be a part of the team that has done so much and pledged to continue his support in the future.

Brian Ramphal is a very successful overseas-based entrepreneur who invests in the Tech Industry.

He came on board as a BCB sponsor in 2018 after being introduced to Foster by former BCB secretary Oscar Ramjeet. The USA-based Ramphal to date has donated close to $3M to the vibrant cricket board and would be investing $500 000 in 2022.

The sponsorship would cover the cost of an Under-19 tournament in West Berbice along with educational grants to players in the same area.

The hosting of the 2022 BCB Mother- and Father-of-the-Year award, along with the overall BCB Award Ceremony, is expected to be held in late April.

A very prominent Caribbean sports leader has already agreed to be the main speaker at the Brian Ramphal 2022 BCB Awards Ceremony, which would be held at the St Francis Community, and the cost of an Under- 19 tournament in West Berbice along with educational grants to players in the same area.

Meanwhile, West Indies player Shimron Hetmyer and his wife Nirvanie on Friday reassured the BCB that they would be renewing their sponsorship for Hetmyer Trust Fund. Last year, the couple sponsored the first edition of the fund at the cost of one million dollars.

Over 80 clubs received cricket balls while 10 youths received educational grants. BCB would provide cricket balls to all the clubs in the county with funds donated by the Hetmyers in 2022.

The pair were the main reason why his presidency was so successful and expressed thanks to them for their support over the years. Ramphal stated that he was delighted to be associated with the BCB as it was making a positive difference in the lives of youths.

BCB would provide cricket balls to all the clubs in the county with funds donated by the Hetmyers in 2022.