THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) continues to invest heavily in the development of cricket talent at the school level.
A delegation of executives, headed by BCB president Hilbert Foster, on Friday handed over uniforms, cricket balls and gear to six secondary schools in the West Berbice area. The total donation was worth close to $1M.

Foster, in his remarks stated that the BCB is committed to taking Berbice Cricket to a very high level and he believes that in order to do so, the board would have to invest heavily in youths at both the club and school level.

Schools, he stated, are the nursery for clubs and BCB’s main objective is to see the game played at both the primary and secondary level.
He announced that the BCB in early 2023 would be hosting a 30-over Under-19 tournament for six secondary schools and a tapeball tournament for 14 primary schools in the West Coast Berbice area.

To loud applause, Foster announced that sponsorship for both tournaments had been obtained. Firstly, a comprehensive coaching programme in secondary school with sponsorship from NAMILCO would be organised.

Following the two tournaments, an elite squad of 30 players from each level would be selected for special coaching sessions with BCB coaches.
Foster urged the schools to take proper care of the items and to use them for the intended purpose: Each school received 15 pairs of uniforms with the names of the school, two boxes of red balls and cricket gear including bats, batting gloves, wicket-keeping gloves and private guards. The schools benefiting were Fort Wellington, Rosignol, No. 8, Belladrum, Woodley Park and Bush Lot.

Government Member of Parliament, Faizal Jaferally, congratulated BCB for its outstanding leadership of the game. Noting that investment at the school level is very important, Jaferally urged the leadership of the schools to place special emphasis on the game.

He traced the legacy of Berbice Cricket from the days of John Trim, Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher and stated that the legacy must be upheld at all cost.
He also pledged his support to the BCB in the future. The PPP Member of Parliament since 2018 has worked closely with the Foster-led administration to develop the game by sponsoring tournaments, a cricket trust fund and also securing sponsorship for tournaments in the West Berbice area.

President of the West Berbice Cricket Association David Black expressed thanks to BCB and sponsor Lochan Samkaran for the investment.

The donation, he stated, would play a major role in identifying new talents for Region Five. Black expressed delight with the special emphasis being placed in the sub-association with assistance to schools and clubs while several tournaments were organised along with coaching sessions.

Mr Lochan Samkarran is a US-based businessman and with his support BCB was able to assist 23 secondary schools across the county with an estimated $3M worth of uniforms, balls and gear.