“You are not selling balata balls you’re selling memories,” is what Dr. Leslie Chin Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institute of Private Enterprise Develop-ment (IPED) told young entrepreneur Debita Harripersaud at the launching of her nostalgic balata balls at the Cara Lodge on Friday evening. The event, sponsored by Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Ltd. (GT&T) was highlighted by the oral presentations of three Guyanese stalwarts Ian Mc Donald, Professor Winston Mc Gowan and Dr. Edward Greene on the exploits of Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs and Clive Lloyd.
The overall product combines three of Guyana’s most loved cricketers and balata balls in an autographed case which includes a brochure describing the specific player. They are handcrafted locally by the Macushi tribe in the Rupununi.
Rohan Kanhai’s ball is called “Masterbat” Lance Gibbs’s ball is “309” and Clive Lloyd’s is “Supercat”.
Sportsman, poet, novelist, and cricket lover extraordinaire, Ian McDonald, whose passion for the game is equalled only by his ability to describe it, opened the batting with a magnificent description of Kanhai.
McDonald, in his eloquent presentation, referred to the great CLR James who once said that Kanhai created a new dimension in batting.
The weekly Stabroek News contributor surprised a few by disclosing that when he first came to Guyana and joined the Bookers Group of Companies, he was appointed company secretary of The Guyana Balata company, when the bullet wood trees at the base of the Kanuku mountains made balata big business in Guyana. In his equally eloquent presentation, Professor Winston McGowan, lecturer, historian and die-hard cricket fan, passionately described Gibbs by simply pointing out that almost every position in the West Indies team can be argued except two, Garfield Sobers as the best West-Indian all-rounder and Gibbs as the best spinner.
“These two points are not subject to debate,” he elegantly articulated. None other than the Assistant Secretary General of CARICOM Dr. Edward Greene masterfully handled the presentation of the great West Indies skipper Clive Hubert Lloyd (CBE).
He pointed out that the adversity suffered by the ‘Supercat’, (as Lloyd is familiarly known) the loss of his father at a young age, as well as the difficulties he faced getting selected and maintaining his place in both the Guyana and West Indies teams strengthened his character and created the resolve that would make Lloyd the greatest captain the game had ever seen. Lloyd’s match-saving innings in the 1975 World Cup competition final (102) typified his remarkable career as he provided the leadership necessary for the team to excel, Mc Gowan pointed out.
Video clips of the first World Cup competition highlighting the performances of the three legends were shown to the audience which included Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) president Chetram Singh, Guyana Olympic Association president K. Juman Yassin, and Director of Sport, Neil Kumar.
Cricket World Cup 2007 Local Organizing Committee Chief Executive Officer Karan Singh, representing the Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, congratulated Harripersaud for bringing her project and product to fruition.
He made special mention of the fact she dedicated the products to her loving parents who passed away a few months apart last year.
GCB public relations officer, Terry Holder, was the perfect host for the launching. He reminded all of the part the balata ball played in Guyana’s history. The first nostalgia balata ball purchases were made by Laparkan Group of companies who purchased the “309” Lance Gibbs ball represented by Kirk Douglas, Sterling products represented by Ramsey Ali purchased the “Masterbat” Rohan Kanhai ball, and Dr. Green purchased the ‘Superca’ Clive Lloyd ball on behalf of Caricom.
The balls are now on sale for $US70 and $US50. Interested persons can contact the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) at 225 8949 or visit the website at www.ipedgy.- com.
