THE New York organising committee headed by former Guyana and USA national cricketers will recognise the contributions of three New York-based cricket administrators, John Aaron, Rudy Persaud and Krish Prasad.

The trio will be honoured during a 25-over celebratory cricket match at Idewild Cricket Ground in Queens, NY from Noon Today.

The committee includes Deryck Kallicharran, Sew Shivnarine along with Zamin Amin, Johnnie Sanasie, Gerald Singh, Ralph Tamesh, and businessman Jameel “Hafeez” Ali.

All three honourees have served as Presidents of the Eastern American Cricket Association (EACA) league in New York.

Chairman of the organising committee, ‘Recognising Excellence in NY Cricket Award,’ Deryck Kallicharran, said, “The idea is to recognise and applaud the efforts of individuals who have contributed to the development of the sport of cricket in the USA.

The two participating teams in the 25-over celebratory match will include past and current cricketers in the New York area.

John Aaron’s passion for cricket was cultivated from the DNA of his father, Reggie Aaron, a former Malteenoes Sports Club cricketer, commentator, and writer in Guyana, and his brother Keith, is a Guyana scholar and former national U-20 captain, who also led a Guyana Colts XI against a visiting England side in 1968.

It was Keith who encouraged John to become involved in cricket administration in the USA in 1978.

He is viewed by many as being highly pivotal in the reconciliation efforts within USA cricket in 2008, following two suspensions by the ICC in 2005 and again in 2007, based on poor governance.

He represented USACA at the 2009 ICC’s Annual General Meeting in Dubai. John Aaron is a recipient of the 2001 Cricket Hall of Fame President’s Award for Outstanding Journalism and was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame in the USA in 2012.

Rudy Persaud, a resident of Queens, New York, was born in Guyana and migrated to the United States in 1986. He has been involved in the administration of cricket since 2004, having established Enmore Cricket Club that same year and affiliated with the EACA.

His passion and dedication to helping the sport grow became even more apparent when he was asked to manage an EACA Under-19 squad and subsequently a New York Region Under-19 squad to Florida for the USACA Regional championship, which New York won.

Kuldeap Prasad, more commonly referred to as Krish, developed his love for cricket in his native Guyana, and his passion for the sport continued when he migrated to the United States. His organisational, motivational, and fundraising skills were developed due to his unyielding dedication and love of the game.

Krish was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame in the USA in 2007. (Sean Devers)