The 10 cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS (RHTY&SC, MS) in their continuing quest to remain the leading cricket club in the Ancient County would be hosting the Annual Cricket Academy from July 15, 2019.
The two-week Academy would be held at the Area ‘H’ Ground, with the management of the club targeting a total of 120 participants between ages eight and 18.
Assistant Secretary/CEO, Simon Naidu, who would serve as Director of the Academy, stated that the Academy serves as the main output of cricketing talent for Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation. The Academy would be conducted by Coach Delbert Hicks in the absence of regular Head Coach Winston Smith, who is currently overseas.
The Academy would start at 09:00h and end at noon daily, with the organisers providing meals and refreshments to the youths. Naidu noted that the RHTY&SC welcomes youths across Berbice to join the Academy as they can go back to their respective clubs with new-found knowledge.
The main objectives of the Academy would be to assist the youths to improve their cricketing skills, to improve their knowledge of the game, its history and laws, to promote the importance of education and physical fitness, while classroom sessions would be done to get the youths to understand their role as ambassadors of their Club, Berbice and Guyana.
Among the topics to be discussed during the classroom lectures are Drug Abuse, Career Choices, Importance of Education, Importance of Discipline, personal hygiene, Role of a Sports Ambassador, Rules of Cricket, Captaincy, History of Cricket, Public Speaking and Dealing with the Media.
Long-standing RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO, Hilbert Foster, would spearhead the classes along with some highly qualified and successful personnel, including Doctors, Social Workers and Head Teachers.
Naidu noted that admission to the Academy is free, with the RHTY&SC and several of its sponsors covering the costs related to meals, gear, refreshments, educational materials, trophies, medals and gifts.
Since 1991, the RHTY&SC Cricket Academy has served as a nursery and feeding ground for the success of the five-time Guyana Cricket Board Club-of-the-Year Awardee.
The club, which won the Award in 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2016, has over the last 29 years won over 60 major championships and produced numerous players for Berbice, Guyana and the West Indies.
The Academy over the years has produced over 2,000 young cricketers with over 100 going on to play for Berbice, while over sixty has represented Guyana at either the junior and senior level.
Among players who came through the Academy are Royston Crandon, Assad Fudadin, Abdel Fudadin, Eon Hooper, Renwick Batson, Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings, Plaffiana Millington, Mariam Samaroo, Dominique Rikhi, Askay Homraj, Khemraj Mahadeo, Shawn Pereira, Delbert Hicks, Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Keith Simpson, Sylus Tyndall, Murphy La Rose, Melanie Henry, Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall, Dian Prahalad, Uma Matadin and Neil Williams.
Interested parents who wish to register their children can contact the RHTY&SC on 337-4562 or email: foster_hilbert@yahoo.com. Registration can also be done through Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu on 643-9040.
