YESTERDAY, at a simple but very important ceremony, the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) collaborated with Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) to launch the KFC Mini Zinger Cricket programme at the Bourda Cricket Ground pavilion.
The cricket programme is similar to the one held by the late Desmond Watkins (Watto) in the 1980s and will start with 50 boys and girls from to five to eleven years from primary schools.
The programme will be held on Saturday mornings from 8 to 9:30 hours and begins on October 5.

Coaching will be conducted by GCC’s Head Coach, former Guyana youth opener, Peter Persaud and Guyana Harpy Eagles Assistant Coach, former Guyana off-spinner Garvin Nedd.
GCC’s President Johnaton Yearwood thanked KFC for joining forces with the oldest Cricket Club in the West Indies to create a devolmental programme for pre-teen children interested in becoming cricketers.
“Since I became president, I was told to think big. When we had our Academy in August, we approached KFC for sponsorship but they wanted to be the overall sponsor but we had already had sponsors. We always wanted to have a programme where children can come on Saturday mornings to learn the various skills needed the to be an outstanding cricketer,” the GCC boss said.

“The participants could decide if they want to play cricket as a career. This programme would also assist in producing cricketers for other clubs, since they are free to join other clubs as they get older and improve. We approached KFC who, without hesitation, came on board.” the proactive Yearwood disclosed.
There is no registration fee.

“My ultimate hope is that we can produce 11 GCC players on the West Indies team. This year we had seven players on Guyana U-19 team,” continued Yearwood who played Hockey for President’s X1.
GCC now shares the record with Malteenoes who achieved the feat in 1987.

Some of those players started at the GCC ‘nursery’ under Watto who died in 2006 and is honoured with his name being on the home team’s dressing room.
Marketing Director of KFC (Guy) Sadia Strand said that KFC was delighted to assist with the funding of this programme since she knows how big cricket is here.
“We support sports in all of the Countries that we have KFC Franchises and we commit to this program on a long-term venture. We will love to be involved with the nursery of the further international stars,” posited the KFC official.
Coach Persaud also gave brief remarks.
KFC was founded by Coronel Harland Sanders and opened its first Franchise in Utah in 1952 while Bourda was opened in 1884 and staged its first Test match in 1930 when West Indies recorded its first Test win, beating England by 89 runs.