The newly-elected executives of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) have already started to make an impact on the game with the launch of two cricket tournaments for the 2018 season. The launch took place less than 48 hours after the executives were elected and represents the first major cricket sponsorship to Berbice Cricket over the last 18 months.
The tournaments are an Under-17 Inter-Club and a 40-over Cricket League for teams in the Upper Corentyne area. Both tournaments would be sponsored by former West Indies captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and friends.
The Fitness53 Gym Under-17 tournament would be for players born on or after September 1, 2001, and would be open to all clubs in the Ancient County. The main objectives would be to identify players for the BCB’s coaching programmes, to assist players to successfully transit to the Under-19 level and to inspire players to stay involved in the game.
The top two teams would receive financial prizes, while top players would receive educational materials in an effort to assist their development in schools. The 40-over League would be open to teams in the Upper Corentyne area and would be administered by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association, under the leadership of Dennis DeAndrade.
BCB President Hilbert Foster expressed delight that cricket would once again be played between clubs as over the last two years, cricket was only played by junior cricketers at the Inter-zone levels.
Teams would be divided into at least eight groups with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals. Interested teams are urged to register with the BCB as early as possible and to make sure that they start preparation to play at the Under-15, Under-19, Under-21, Female, Intermediate, Second Division and First Division levels.
The newly elected President stated that his Board would be working beyond the call of duty to ensure that every cricketer in Berbice fulfills his/her true potentials. Foster hailed the support of Sarwan, whom he stated is a positive role model and friend of Berbice Cricket.
“The former West Indies batting icon benefitted a lot from playing cricket and was committed to giving back. Foster also issued an appeal to former Berbice, Guyana and West Indies players to assist the Berbice Cricket Board to return Berbice Cricket to its rightful place by offering their skills and experience. He assured Sarwan and friends that both tournaments would be well organised and expressed confidence that the relationship would be strengthened in the future,” the BCB said in a release.
Sarwan, who was absent from the launch, in a invited comment, stated that he was pleased to assist Berbice Cricket as he had full confidence in its newly elected management. He pledged his support in the future and disclosed that he would be seeking the support of others as the BCB seeks to fulfill its mandate.
Sarwan is without doubt one of Guyana’s finest batsmen. He played 87 Test matches for West Indies, scoring 5,842 runs with 15 centuries at an average of 40.01. At the One-Day International level, Sarwan scored 5,804 runs in 181 matches with five centuries. Overall, he scored 13,405 First-Class runs with 33 centuries.
