Dear Editor,
While I am specifically making an observation in reference to the Guyana Beverage Incorporated‘s (BUSTA) support for the Essequibo Cricket Board, I am also aware of the company’s sponsorship of various other sporting disciplines countrywide. The company has been sponsoring the ECB’s annual 50 Overs Cricket Festival which is the county’s premier tournament for nearly a decade. This is despite the fact that cricket has been isolated at the national and international levels in Guyana owing to the impasse involving the IMC and the GCB.
Incidentally there seems to be a positive way forward for the sport following the establishment of a new constitution for the GCB and fruitful meetings which were held between the various stakeholders, including the Essequibo Cricket Board.
The company’s Managing Director, Mr Robert Selman, has been instrumental in providing corporate support to the ECB, since a tournament of this kind requires the participation of the ECB’s eight area committees including Bartica, Leguan, Wakenaam and East Bank Essequibo, along with the other four committees on the Essequibo Coast. It is an extremely costly event given the geography of the county, and most of the sponsorship has to provide for meals and the transportation of over 150 players and officials.
The tournament has become popular though, and is an eagerly anticipated event, since the best cricketers are being showcased and have the honour to gain selection and represent Essequibo at the inter-county level and beyond. I recall being the first recipient of the winner’s trophy when the tournament began in 2003 as captain of the North Essequibo team, which included the likes of Dinesh Joseph, Ramesh Narine and Latchman Rohit. Interestingly North has not had another title since, which suggests that the other area committees are proving to be very competitive as the other title holders include Central Essequibo on a few occasions, and also Bartica.
Wakenaam for the first time has recently won a major tournament which was organized by the ECB. This colourful spectacle (the teams were given uniforms) remains extremely important to the future development of the cricketers, since there are quite a number of young players emerging from the various teams which was not a possibility a few years ago because the strength of the teams relied at that time on the senior players.
This year has produced several national youth players from Essequibo, including Kemo Paul, Mark Gonsalves, Vijay Surajpaul, Ricardo Adams, Kevin Boodie, Mark Tyrell, Ricardo Peters and also Ransford Beaton, who has graduated to the West Indies under-19 team and participated in the Youth World Cup which was held in Australia earlier this year. He is also a senior first class player and will spearhead the list of talented and emerging young cricketers who will have an opportunity to gain supremacy for their committee. The ECB and Mr Selman must also be complimented for having this tournament extended to remote cricketing areas, since the finals are scheduled to be played under floodlights in Bartica.
It will be the first time that the event will be held there and played under lights. This is a most timely gesture by the ECB, which is creating an atmosphere with an international flavour.
Yours faithfully, Elroy Stephney
