CRICKET in the Ancient County of Berbice has been on the rise recently, hence it was no surprise when beverage distributor Ansa McAl Limited, through its Carib Beer brand, saw it fit to partner with the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), in sponsoring a Twenty20 tournament. At a simple presentation ceremony held in the boardroom on Wednesday, Public Relations Officer of the BCB, Hilbert Foster, said the tournament would be played on a round-robin basis among the first division teams who will be divided into two zones, with the top two teams of each zone contesting the semifinals.
Foster said the BCB executives were busy, preparing for a hectic year and one they deem the busiest in their existence so far, since they plan to host 17 cricket tournaments, having been assured of sponsorship for 14.
“Tournaments will be played from the Under-13 to first division level, while the BCB (executives) set themselves a target of 80 off-the-field projects, including the annual award ceremony, a comprehensive all-year coaching programme, cricket academy and Tribute to Heroes programme, among others.
“There can be no doubt, that cricket in Berbice is on the rise and today marks the start of our year of activities, to which I wish to say thanks to the members and staff of Ansa McAl, who has always been supporting our projects in times past.”
The PRO said the T20 tournament will bowl off in mid-March and will be a well organised one, while the BCB would make all efforts to bring the crowd out to the venues which will be hosting two matches per day, leading up to the semifinals, for which the sponsor would provide coloured T-shirts for the four teams.
He said Ansa McAl will also be providing finance for the construction and erection of a large billboard with the photographs and a brief history of Berbice’s 15 Test cricketers, which would be placed in the historic village of Port Mourant, since that village has produced the most Berbicians who have played Test cricket.
Carib Beer brand manager Nigel Worrell said Carib Beer and Ansa McAl have always been associated with cricket over the years and are pleased to be associated with the BCB and while indicating that there are a lot of negatives surrounding cricket in Guyana, his company is focusing on the positives to get the sport back to the days of yore, while seeking to develop the young people within the communities.
Marketing Consultant for the BCB, Bish Panday, lauded both the sponsor and the BCB for their hard work aimed towards the development of cricket in Guyana and while calling the BCB a leader and not a follower, challenged the organisers to have better pitches for the matches which will be played in the upcoming tournament.