By Avenash Ramzan
The benevolence of Kaieteur International Sports Club of Canada was on full display on Monday morning as three local cricket clubs were presented with a set of new and used cricket gear.
The presentation ceremony, dubbed by Kaieteur International Sports Club member Roger Sawh as “very humble, very simple, but very meaningful”, took place on the lawns of Roraima Duke Lodge in Kingston, Georgetown.
Under the theme “Giving Back”, the club underwent a process of simple recruitment by asking friends and other clubs to donate new and used gear to be distributed in Guyana.
According to Sawh, a noted Guyanese cricket aficionado, the response was overwhelming.
“As you could see before me, we have three full bags of gear. Initially, we were going to give to two clubs, but the response was so much we had to expand it to a third. To be very honest I think we could have made four healthy bags of gear, but we’ve done three,” Sawh noted.
He continued, “That means that the beneficiaries are going to be enjoying a substantial impetus to their stocks, and I think that’s important because every glove, every pad, every bat, every single piece of equipment should go a long way. That’s what we’re here for, to make a difference. We’re a cricket club, but we’re also a brotherhood in many ways, and we want to share that goodwill, we want to share that sense of camaraderie that cricket creates with our extended family in Guyana.”
Timely donation
The clubs benefitting from the gesture are Ace Warriors Cricket Club, Diplomats Sports Club and Sophia Cricket Club. They were each presented with a quantity of helmets, bat rubbers, thigh guards, hats, gloves, batting pads, cones, shirts, protective boxes, arm guards, bats, bags, cricket shoes and balls.
As expected, club representatives were delighted to have been given a major boost to their gear stocks.
Clayon Halley of Ace Warriors Cricket Club underscored the importance of the donation, stating that “a craftsman cannot do his job without tools.”
“Being one of the clubs from one of the so-called stigmatised communities, we have guys who can’t afford, so the gear will go a long way. We have a lot of talented guys in the East Ruimveldt community,” Halley added.
He further stated that himself and other executives would often-times use their personal resources, financial and otherwise, to keep the club afloat, and “gestures like these go a very long way and we do appreciate it and we want to thank you guys very much.”
Akeem Hinds described Sophia Cricket Club as a small and emerging club, which is extremely grateful for this level of support.
“This gear would be of great assistance to us since it would keep the youths in our communities focused; it would keep them away from crime, and we’re very grateful,” Hinds said.
Rickford Mohamed of Diplomats Sports Club expressed gratitude to Kaieteur International Sports Club and its members, noting that the equipment will be put to its intended use, which he said will be to churn out better cricketers for the club.
Chairman of the Competitions Committee of the Georgetown Cricket Association, Shaun Massiah, lauded the overseas group for the initiative, noting that the beneficiaries are deserving of such assistance.
“Playing with these clubs you notice that these guys are struggling for gear. I know these gear here will carry them a long way,” Massiah highlighted.
Kaieteur International Sports Club’s local liaison, Riyad Sattaur, was instrumental in seeking out the clubs who were deemed to be in need of assistance.
Kaieteur International Sports Club
The club started over 40 years ago and was birthed through an alliance between Kaieteur and ISC, which merged to become Kaieteur International Sports Club.
Over those years, the club, boasting predominantly players of Guyanese heritage, won several championships back-to-back. The club currently competes in the Premier Division in Toronto.
Heading into the new season Kaieteur International Sports Club are the back-to-back champions, and they are currently playing in the Premier Division of the Scarborough Cricket League.
The club has expanded to two teams, namely the Premier Division team and a Kaieteur B team that is playing in the Second Division of the Scarborough Cricket League.
