Republic Bank Guyana Ltd has once again teamed up with the Berbice Cricket Board of Control (BCBC) to host this year’s Berbice inter-zone under-17 cricket tournament.

Republic Bank’s New Amsterdam Branch Manager Imran Sacoor (left) hands over the sponsorship cheque to BCBC Treasurer Anil Beharry.

At a press conference last week at the BCBC office it was disclosed that the bank will again sponsor cricket in the region after an absence of two years.
Republic Bank had previously supported the county’s under-15 tournament for several years.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) and special events chairman of the BCBC Hilbert Foster at the presentation said that as part of the board’s development plans, cricket would be played at both the club and inter-zone levels in an effort to nurture new talent at all levels.

The Republic Bank tournament would involve four teams- West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Central/ Upper Corentyne and would get underway later this month.

West Berbice will play New Amsterdam/Canje at the Blairmont Community Centre ground and Lower Corentyne will battle Central Corentyne at Skeldon.
The two winners would clash in the finals at the Albion Community Centre ground, while the two losing teams would play each other for the third and fourth place respectively.

Meanwhile the Berbice Junior Selection Committee will select the teams based on performances at the clubs’ under-17 tournament and the Berbice under-17 team will  be selected based on performances at the inter-zone tournament.

The BCBC Republic Bank sponsorship is worth $300,000 with the BCBC investing $49,000 in educational materials.
The winning team will receive $35,000 in educational materials. The losing finalists will get $25,000, third place $20,000 and fourth,  $15,000.
Foster in his remarks, expressed gratitude to the directors and management of Republic Bank, calling the investment a timely one for the game as it bridges the gap between under-15 and under-19.

Special thanks were also extended to the former secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board, Bish Panday, who now serves as the BCBC marketing consultant, for the role he played in obtaining the sponsorship.

President of the BCBC Keith Foster hailed the tournament as another major step of his board as it strives to uplift the standard of Berbice cricket.
Branch Manager of RBTT in New Amsterdam, Imran Sacoor stated that his bank is pleased to be associated once again with Berbice cricket. He disclosed that the bank over the years has invested heavily in sports, education and youth development and would continue to do so as it is committed to Guyana’s future.

He expressed the hope that several new talents like Narsingh Deonarine and Sewnarine Chattergoon would be unearthed during the tournament.