The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) in collaboration with Trinidad Cement Limited Guyana Incorporated yesterday launched their 16th annual Cricket Academy which targets the fundamentals of the sport while tackling other issues.
This is the second year in succession that the cement and concrete manufacturer has thrown its weight behind the event and this year emphasis will be placed not only on the core of the game but topics such as drug abuse, personal hygiene, education and other essential aspects of life.
TCL Plant Manager, Mark Bender, said that he was impressed by last year’s impact and decided to respond to the request for this year’s sponsorship.
Secretary of the RHTYSC, Hilbert Foster, received the sponsorship cheque worth $200, 000 from Bender. Bender said that he was satisfied with the effect the programme had on the younger generation especially with them facing the challenges they faced socially.
“Cricket is the catalyst they are using to help them get useful counseling because they would not willingly take such independent steps,” he opined while wishing the RHTYSC another successful year with the programme.
“Over the last 15 years the RHTYSC has catered for its future on the cricket field by hosting an annual cricket academy for young members. The last 15 academies have been very successful in moulding the talents of many youths including Representative West Indies teams players such as Royston Crandon, Assad Fudadin and Shemaine Campbell among others,” said Hilbert Foster secretary of the RHTY&SC.
He concluded by extending invitations to other clubs in Berbice to send some of their members to be a part of this year’s cricket academy.
The target is 120 youths from across the county including male and female players and is limited to three members per club. Coaches Renwick Boston, Winston Smith and Michael Hyles-Franco will be facilitating these sessions commencing from 09:00 hours to 14:00 hours.
Special emphasis would be placed on batting, bowling, fielding, physical fitness, while classroom lectures would be held on a series of important topics including HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, history of cricket, importance of education and personal hygiene.
