The National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) on Friday last renewed its cricket sponsorship of the Under-21 and First Division teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS (RHTY&SC) during a simple presentation ceremony at the company’s Agricola Head Office.
The sponsorship, which would last until October 2022, is valued at G$420,000.
Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the Club was delighted at the renewal of the sponsorship, despite the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He stated that NAMILCO had come on board as the teams’ official sponsor in September 2019, replacing Gizmos and Gadgets. The teams since then have participated in a total of seven tournaments and have been unbeaten to date.
They are the defending champions at the 20/20, 100 balls, 40-over and 50-over, while the Under-21s are also the defending Berbice champions. The teams have also successfully completed close to 100 activities under the name of the sponsorship.
Among the activities are the construction of three homes for less fortunate families, award ceremonies for outstanding Guyanese, charity programmes, donations to organisations and playing a major role in educating Berbicians on COVID-19.
Among the activities organised were Tribute to Law Enforcement Officers, Tribute to Medical Workers, Tribute to Outstanding Teachers, Youth Information Booklet, COVID-19 educational posters and stickers, distribution of cycles and the distribution of over six million dollars’ worth of flood relief food hampers.
The teams also hosted the Basil Butcher Trust Fund, Annual Christmas Village and assisted their peers with the donation of cricket gear worth millions.
Special emphasis was also placed on assisting the Rose Hall Town Council to celebrate the 51st anniversary of Guyana’s smallest town.
Foster, who is also the President of the vibrant Berbice Cricket Board and Vice-President of the Guyana Cricket Board, stated that the teams were very proud to represent the NAMILCO brand and hailed the relationship that exists between the management of the two organisations.
He noted that Kevin Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Shemaine Campbelle, Shabaki Gajnabi and Sheneta Grimmond all represented the West Indies under the sponsorship, while several more exciting talents are emerging under the club’s aggressive developmental programme headed by Head Coach Delbert Hicks along with Cricket Managers Robby Kissonlall, Keith Hicks and Tyrone Pottaya.
Among the other players representing the teams are Jason Sinclair, Keith Simpson, Clinton Pestano, Eon Hooper, Shawn Pereira, Keon Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Slyus Tyndall, Khemraj Mahadeo, Delbert Hicks, Jonathan Rampersaud, Jermey Sandia, Mahendra Gopilall, Chanderpaul Govindan, Christopher Deroop, Matthew Pottaya and Romesh Bharrat.
The captain of the Under-21 team for 2022 would be Chanderpaul Govindan with Jonathan Rampersaud as his deputy, while Shawn Pereira and Clinton Pestano would serve as captain and vice-captain respectively for the First Division team.
The long serving RHTY&SC official reassured the NAMILCO management team that the teams would continue to represent their brand with pride, commitment and discipline. He stated that cricket in the county would restart as soon as the National COVID-19 Task Force grants permission.
NAMILCO Managing Director Bert Sukhai hailed the two teams as outstanding flagbearers of the company brand and stated that they had exceeded expectations on and off the cricket field.
Sukhai expressed satisfaction at the numerous activities of the teams, especially those which had a positive impact on the lives of those less fortunate than themselves.
He urged the two NAMILCO Thunderbolt teams to uphold their high standards in the future and reassured them of his company’s support in the future.
RHTY&SC Assistant Simon Naidu stated that the company, apart from sponsoring the two teams, also co-sponsors a number of activities for the club on an annual basis, including the RHTY&SC Review Magazine, Award Ceremony, Cricket Academy, Charity Programmes, Christmas Programme, Say Yes/Say No Campaign and Tribute to Law Enforcement Officer Programme.
Naidu also stated that the company is expected to be on board shortly with a contribution to the RHTY&SC 2021 Christmas Charity Programme, which would be held between December 1-24.
The teams at the conclusion of the presentation handed over a special gift to Sukhai in appreciation of his support of their activities over the years.
NAMILCO is a subsidiary of Seaboard Corporation of the United States. It produces the most popular brands of flour in Guyana.
