Dear Editor,
The attention of the Berbice Cricket Board has once again been drawn to another letter in the press (Stabroek News, December 12) under the headline ‘Prize money for the finals of the Upper Corentyne T/20‘ and in the Kaieteur News on December 13, written by Dr Rishi Thakur who once famously called himself President of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association.
This gentleman to date has not answered questions posed to him after his last letter containing misinformation. The Berbice Cricket Board would like to state quite clearly that the main aim of the internal sub-zone tournament is to encourage clubs to continue playing the game and also to unearth new talent. The Berbice Cricket Board was able to obtain sponsorships worth $100 000.00 each for the New Amsterdam/Canje, West Berbice and Upper Corentyne areas, and has no knowledge of Dr Thakur’s figure of $300 000.00. A total of $70 000.00 out of the $100 000.00 was used for the prizes and trophies with balls, umpires, TV promotions, etc, still to be covered. The 2012 tournament for the area would be bigger with the sponsors promising a bigger package.
What is beyond belief is that the professor would seek to criticize the Berbice Cricket Board for promoting the game to the fullest. He can be excused on the grounds that he is unfamiliar with how this board operates. Everything done by the Berbice Cricket Board is excellent and all finals are promoted so that the sponsors receive maximum promotion in an effort to get the sponsorship renewed. One is left to wonder if Dr Thakur would have been happy if there was no promotion. His lack of knowledge of local cricket is also exposed when he says that the crowd was small. For Dr Thakur’s information almost all cricket in Guyana attracts no crowd and it is always the players and umpires alone in the ground. The exception is Berbice cricket and the finals at Skeldon attracted over five hundred spectators. If he was at the Independence Cup 20/20, Busta finals, Ramcharitar finals, Tenelec Inc finals, Day of Champions Cup and NBS 2nd Division finals he would have noticed the passion of Berbice supporters for the game. The Berbice Cricket Board never expected thousands of spectators at a second division final and Dr Thakur must be careful about reading other people’s minds.
The Berbice Cricket Board also used the opportunity to meet with clubs in the area, and the board office contacted the twenty six-clubs that are registered with it. A total of fifteen clubs turned up to the meeting and were duly informed of the work of the board in 2012 and plans for the Upper Corentyne for 2013 while clubs were invited to make recommendations for the development of Berbice cricket. The Chairman of the meeting carefully informed the clubs that plans for the Upper Corentyne area include a 40-Overs tournament, 20/20 Cup, two-day matches for youths, a two-day Cricket Academy, coaching sessions and participation in several inter-zone tournaments at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels. Teams in the area would also be involved in at least sixteen Berbice Cricket Board tournaments. It was also explained quite clearly that there is need for the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association to be formed again as the Berbice Cricket Board has its hands full hosting a record-breaking 25 tournaments at all levels and 175 off-the-field programmes/activities.
The proposal was accepted by the entire gathering without one voice in opposition and it was decided to elect a steering committee that would be prepared to properly organise elections in two to three months. One of the main duties of the steering committee would be to register all clubs in the area to make sure that everyone has a chance to vote. Editor, the steering committee was made up of highly respected individuals selected by their Upper Corentyne counterparts and the group includes a former national player, very active cricket officials from the area, a senior GuySuCo official and successful businessmen. The Berbice Cricket Board would like to encourage Dr Thakur if he so desires, to run for office so when elections are held he can get the support of clubs. Questions of course would have to be answered about his achievements as a cricket administrator and what has been done for cricket in the Upper Corentyne.
The Berbice Cricket Board is the most transparent cricket body in the Caribbean, and the hosting of twenty-nine press conferences in 2012, the issuing of over 200 press releases, the hosting of a very informative monthly television programme, and the publication of the annual magazine are proof of these facts.
The Berbice Cricket Board‘s audited financial statements are also published in the magazine for public viewing.
Dr Thakur should get his facts straight. This is sport not politics. He should use his creative energy to assist less fortunate clubs in Upper Corentyne and become a part of the unbelievable cricketing revolution that Berbice is enjoying.
Yours faithfully,
Angela Haniff
Secretary
Berbice Cricket Board
