FORMER Member of Parliament and former Guyana High Commissioner to India, Charandass Persaud, has donated five cricket bats and twelve red balls to Project “Cricket Gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana,” the joint initiative between Anil Beharry of Guyana and Kishan Das of the USA.

Persaud is an attorney at law by profession, a Berbician by birth and a Canadian citizen as well. Project Cricket Gear is very thankful to Charandass for this timely contribution as it aims to keep young people off the streets and get them actively involve in sports, cricket in particular.

Total cricket related items received/purchased so far: $460,000 in cash, 13 colored cricket uniforms, one set of stumps, two trophies, 31 pairs of cricket shoes, 35 pairs of batting pads, 40 cricket bats, 36 pairs of batting gloves, 26 thigh pads, three pairs of wicket-keeping pads, six arm guards, two chest pads, two boxes, 12 cricket bags, six bat rubbers, six helmets, one fiber glass bat, one pair of floppy hat, 13 boxes of white cricket balls, 11 boxes of red cricket balls and 28 footballs.

To date, 89 young players, male and female, from all three counties of Guyana have benefitted directly from cash, seven gear bags, two trophies, four arm guards, 33 bats, four boxes, six helmets, 34 pairs of cricket shoes, 23 pairs of batting pads, 25 thigh pads, one bat grip, 41 pairs of batting gloves, one pair of wicket-keeping pads and three pairs of wicket-keeping glove. In addition, two clubs in the Pomeroon area received two used bats.

Pomeroon, Leguan and Wakenaam Cricket Committees and Cotton Tree Die Hard also collected one box of red cricket balls each, Cold Fusion Cricket Club received 13 coloured uniforms while RHCCCC received six boxes of balls, 15 white cricket shirts, one pair of junior batting pads, one pair of wicket-keeping gloves, two sets of stumps and bails.

Other beneficiaries are the Essequibo Cricket Board, the Town of Lethem, youth coach Travis Persaud (one box of red cricket balls), male and female teams playing the traditional hardball and softball in the Upper Corentyne area, No.65 Young Titans with 30 T-Shirts, youths of Just Try Cricket Club, Wakenaam Cricket Academy (one box of white balls), Shamar Joseph, Nehemiah Hohenkirk, Shamar Apple, Leguan Cricket Committee, Tucber Park Cricket Club, Malteenoes Sports Club (nine cricket balls each), Kendall’s Union Cricket Club with two boxes of red balls, Lower Corentyne, Corentyne Comprehensive and JC Chandisingh Secondary Schools with 12 red balls each.

Cricket related items, used or new, are distributed free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana. Skills, discipline and education are important characteristics of the recipients. Talent spotting is being done across the country and club leaders also assist to identify same. Progressive and well managed cricket clubs with a youth program, will also benefit.
Anyone interested to contribute can contact Anil Beharry on 623 6875 or Kishan Das on 1 718 664 0896.