OVER two hundred youths turned up on Monday when the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) started its annual Republic Bank Summer Camp and Bakewell/Busta Cricket Academy at the Rose Hall Town Primary School and Area H Ground respectively.

The events are held annually under the vibrant club ‘Say Yes to Education and Sports Programme’ and is being organised by the cricket teams of the RHTYSC – Poonai Pharmacy Under-13, Farfan and Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Females, Vitality Under-23, Namilco Thunderbolt Under-21 and First Division.

Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster expressed delight with the attendance at both events which surpassed expectations. One of the most exciting aspects of the opening day was the presence of 30 Under-19 females, who all expressed a desire to become members of the only full-time female club team in Guyana.

Foster, in brief remarks at the opening, urged the attentive youths to develop a culture of hard work, personal discipline, commitment and a desire to learn more about the game.
The long-standing club official, who is also the president of the proactive Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) stated that the RHTYSC strongly believes that education and sports go hand in hand and therefore called on the youths to make sure that they pay close attention to both.

The RHTYSC, he stated, would provide all the necessary support they need in terms of guidance, gear and educational materials.
Head coach Winston Smith, who is working primarily with the young females, disclosed that special emphasis would be placed on getting them to understand the basics of batting and bowling.

Smith, who is being helped by a battery of assistants, stated that emphasis would also be placed on classroom work, where the players would know the history of the game and topics of importance to their personal development.

Among the topics to be covered are suicide, danger of drugs, domestic violence, peer pressure and personal hygiene. The senior members of the club are also playing a major role, with West Indies players Kevin Sinclair, Sheneta Grimmond and Shabika Gajnabi turning up to pass on their knowledge to the players and providing inspirational talks to them.
Recent Amazon Warriors recruit, Junior Sinclair, also turned up to the camp and worked with over 25 Under-12 players as part of his personal developmental programme with the club.