HUNDREDS of Buxtonians both young and old turned out in their hundreds yesterday afternoon at the Buxton Youth Developers Club (BYDC) to catch a glimpse at five present-day West Indies players and the Digicel Cricket Ambassador Lance Gibbs.
Former captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brendan Nash, Darren Bravo, Devendra Bishoo and Kraigg Brathwaite joined Gibbs and Digicel’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Delroy Deen and Public Relations Officer Shonette Moore on their visit to the BYDC. The players and Gibbs were met and escorted by six beautiful young ladies who will be competing in this year’s Buxton African Talented Teen Pageant, with two of the contestants taking time out to introduce themselves to their guests and the hundreds who were gathered at the venue.
President of the BYDC, Robin Phillips, welcomed the visitors to the venue, calling it a great honour to have such esteemed gentlemen of West Indies cricket in the village, for whom he asked and received a loud round of applause.
“It is an honour to have these great ambassadors of West Indies cricket in our midst today, along with a great Legend of West Indies cricket, Lance Gibbs.
“We at the BYDC are pleased to have them here with us today and we wish to thank Digicel who has been reaching out to the various communities in more ways than one, for making this gesture possible, while we welcome the West Indies players and wish them all the best in their Test series against Pakistan,” stated Phillips.
In his brief remarks, Deen lauded Phillips and Patron of the Club, Lenny Shuffler, for the exemplary work they have been undertaking, and committed his company’s support in the months and years ahead, saying: ‘We are on board with you and we will continue to be with you in the months and years ahead.”
In an invited comment with Chronicle Sport, Gibbs lauded Digicel for such a splendid gesture.
“This is great as far as Digicel is concerned. They (Digicel) have been doing a lot not only in Guyana but the Caribbean as a whole in recent times and I am delighted that Buxton was selected for this type of performance.
“I am here on behalf of Digicel, due to the fact that I am their Ambassador for Cricket. I was in Martinique for the final of the Digicel Cup and then I was in Jamaica for the launching of the film ‘Fire in Babylon’, so it is not just about cricket, but non-related cricket matters that I am involved with through Digicel.”
The former West Indies legendary off-spinner is hoping the home team perform as they did in the final one-day international on Thursday, when they face the Pakistanis in the first Test match next Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, while applauding the massive turnout given by the Guyanese.
“Speaking from the point of view as a former West Indies player, the crowd turned out in large numbers yesterday to witness the final match, which was, unexpectedly to some, a bit short. Pakistan had already won the series so they tried some new players and the West Indies were able to win it.
“Having won the last two one dayers, we can only hope that the West Indies team grow from strength to strength and do better not only in the Test series against Pakistan, but India and other top teams as well,” said Gibbs.
The five players and Gibbs then spent about 45 minutes mingling, taking photographs, giving autographs and even conducting a mini practice sessions with the children of the community, before departing at 16:0hrs.