Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS and popular international soft drinks brand, Pepsi, on Friday last renewed their long-standing cricket relationship at the Demerara Distillers Limited’s Head Office at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
The company has been sponsoring the RHTY&SC Under-19 and Intermediate teams since 2004. The sponsorship was renewed at the cost of G$240,000 for 2020.
RHTYSC, MS Secretary/CEO, Hilbert Foster, hailed Pepsi and DDL as one of the main reason why the club has been recognised as Guyana’s best and for the reputation of producing positive results on the cricket field.
The Pepsi Under-19 team in 2019 won the BCB Under-19 20/20 title, was runner-up of the 50-over tournament, while the Pepsi Intermediate team won the BCB/ Shimron Hetmyer 50-over tournament.
Pepsi came on board as the official sponsor after the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company withdrew in 2004.
Under the sponsorship, the Under-19 team has won six titles, including the first two editions of the BCB/New York Business Group 50-over tournament, while the Intermediate team has won both tournaments organised by the BCB.
Foster noted that the success of the Pepsi team has been the result of sheer hard work, dedication and the financial support of the Demerara Distillers Limited and Pepsi.
The support from Pepsi has enable the teams to fully concentrate on playing the game on the field, without worrying about the costs attached.
Over the years, the team produced national junior players like Dominic Rikhi, Shailendra Shameer, Arif Chan, Loyden Lewis, Shawn Pereira, Akshay Homraj, Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall, Jeremy Sandia, Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Kevin Sinclair, Matthew Pottaya, Assad Fudadin, Abdel Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Shemaine Campbelle, Sheneta Grimmond, Shabika Gajnabi and Murphy La Rose among others.
Campbelle, Crandon, Anderson, Gajnabi, Grimmond and Assad Fudadin all went on the play for the West Indies at different levels. Over the last 16 years, the Pepsi teams also hosted hundreds of personal developmental programmes with the main objective of making a positive difference in the lives of youths, elderly and less fortunate.
The programmes were hosted under the sub-headings of educational, culture, charity, religious, awards and community among others.
Foster expressed gratitude to DDL and Pepsi for their continued investment in the RHTY&SC. He committed the teams to uphold the high standard they have set themselves in the future and to be perfect ambassadors of the Pepsi brand.
DDL Marketing Executive, Larry Wills, congratulated the RHTY&SC for been an outstanding representative of the Pepsi brand. DDL, he stated, was proud to be associated with the RHT teams as they have represented the Pepsi brand well on and off the cricket field.
