Cricket in the Ancient County of Berbice continues to attract investments and sponsorship as the proactive Berbice Cricket Broad (BCB) continues to work hard to prepare for a possible restart of tournaments later in the year or early next year.
The BCB recently completed successful discussions with the management of USA-based company Tenelec Inc. for a million -dollar sponsorship of two major cricket tournament for the 2022 season.
BCB President Hilbert Foster, who has over the last three and half years spearheaded a comprehensive marketing drive for the board, successfully completed the discussions with co-owners of the company, Bobby Deonarine and Tom Gruentzel, for the sponsorship.
The sponsorship would cover the cost of an Under-15 and Senior First Division 50-over tournament. Foster stated that the Under-15 tournament would be for players born on or after September 1, 2007.
A total of 23 teams are expected to play in the tournament, which would be used to select the Berbice Inter-county team and identify promising players for the future. These players would then be part of the BCB coaching programme, which would be expanded in the new year.
Among the teams expected to play are Paradise, Bush Lot United, Achievers, Cotton Tree, Bath, Blairmont, Tucber Park, Rose Hall Canje, Kendall Union, Edinburgh, Mt Sinai, Albion, RHT Farfan and Mendes, Port Mourant, Number 73, Cut and Load and Rana Krishna.
The First Division tournament would be one of at least four to be organised by the BCB in 2022.
Foster disclosed that the Tenelec Inc. 50-over tournament would be played using the knockout format among the 11 First Division teams.
The teams that would participate in the tournament are West Berbice, Blairmont, Police, Tucber Park, Rose Hall Canje, Young Warrior, Albion, RHT Namilco Thunderbolt Flour, Port Mourant, Skeldon and Upper Corentyne.
Foster explained that the overseas-based company had sponsored the tournaments for over a decade up to 2016, but left in frustration in 2017 when the tournament was not organised despite the handing over sponsorship to the previous board.
Confidence was restored into the operation of the BCB when Foster and his executives were elected into office in February 2018.
Deonarine, who is the uncle of West Indies Test player Narsingh Deonarine, expressed confidence in the current administration and stated that he was delighted to be on board again.
The Tenelec tournaments have a rich tradition in the history of Berbice Cricket and played a great part in the development of players like Narsingh Deonarine, Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Romario Shepherd, Nial Smith, Kevlon Anderson, Kevin Sinclair and Sewnarine Chattergoon among others.
