Republic Bank and Cricket West Indies (CWI) have partnered in a grassroot project called ‘Five For Fun,’ which is aimed at building interest in the sport at an early with the hope that many of the players aspire to play at the highest level.
The new format of cricket is designed to appeal to children from 8-11 years old. Guyana became the second territory to join the platform after the pilot project was launched in 2021 in St. Lucia.
Stephen Grell, Managing Director- Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited, commented: “It is the first of its kind, welcoming a notable diversity of participation and positioning young cricket enthusiasts for stardom. We’re particularly heartened that this comes at a time when we’re encouraging students to return to school after such an extended time away from the classroom; and it presents an opportunity for recreational, developmental, physically invigorating activity, discipline and togetherness.”
Likewise, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand outlined that such a programme is geared towards their goal to produce rounded and competent students.
“We have set sights on producing at the end of secondary school, children who are competent, and I am making the distinction between competent and having passed exams. Competent in one sport, one foreign language, one musical instrument, a Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET), and some level of volunteerism, and this programme fits squarely into that,” the Minister contended.
Those TVET areas the Minister spoke of are Agricultural Science, Home Economics, Carpentry and Masonry.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., reaffirmed that partnerships of this nature are key to building the country’s human resources and with good leadership, these objectives will be achieved.
Guyana Cricket Board President and CWI Director, Bissoondyal Singh, outlined that the next step is Physical Education for teachers and training of coaches from July 1-3 followed by the ‘Five For Fun’ training hubs in all counties from July 8 to August 12.
The county festival will be October 3-7 then the Nationals final on October 14.
There will be an advanced cricket talent camp from October 26 -28 with some of the outstanding players from the tournament.
About Five for Fun
The rules and format for Five for Fun are designed around two basic principles: fun and inclusion. The ‘fun’ elements of the game are rooted in its speed, energy and simple rules.
As regards inclusion, Five for Fun pits boys and girls of all abilities together as equals. Each Five For Fun game involves 5 Players per team playing 5 6-Ball Overs each.
Each batter will face an over from a single bowler. If a batter is ‘Out’, they will still face their allotted Over but 3 Runs will be deducted from the team score. Full Rules for Five For Fun are available upon request.
Republic Bank & Cricket
Five For Fun is the third pillar of Republic Bank’s region-wide investment into the Caribbean’s favourite sport. Republic Bank is also the Official Banking Partner of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and one of the tournament’s long-standing supporters.
Alongside CPL, Republic Bank launched its Spirit of Caribbean Cricket platform in 2019. Spirit of Caribbean Cricket is a digital media property whereby all the stakeholders of cricket ranging from fans to legends are invited to share their memories, anecdotes and opinions about the past, present and future of the game. Please see www.spiritofcaribbeancricket.com.
CWI Future Stars Programme
The Future Stars Programme covers all aspects of participation and development from primary school age through to our “Rising Stars” Programme.
For players showing true potential, our “Rising Stars” community and school programmes for secondary age children is the next stage of player development. And for those who demonstrate the ability and passion to excel further, the Future Stars pathway extends into our U17s and U19s regional programmes, and then the opportunity to represent the West Indies at U19 level and then hopefully onto a full-time professional career.
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