The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has distributed over $1 million worth of white cricket balls to first-division clubs while coaches received $300,000 worth of colour uniforms as teams in the county prepare for the 2023 season.
The donation of the cricket balls was done under the Patron Fund which is financed by Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, who serves as Patron of the BCB.
The clubs receiving the donation were West Berbice, Blairmont, Police,Young Warriors, Rose Hall Canje, Tucber Park, Albion, RHTYSC, Port Mourant, Upper Corentyne and Skeldon.
Each club collected five boxes of balls worth seventy-five thousand dollars while the Berbice River Cricket Association received two boxes and the Guymine Cricket Club one box each from the Fund, a release from the BCB stated.
BCB president Hilbert Foster said that this was the second successive year that the clubs have benefitted from one million dollars’ worth of white balls while second-division clubs would shortly receive another million dollars’ worth of red balls under another project.
Foster urged the clubs to use the balls for the intended purpose and to support the board as much as possible.
According to the President the board has obtained six bowling machines, over 24 practice nets, five batting cages and 20 catching cribs. Clubs over the last five years have also received cricket gear, educational grants, scorebooks, water pitchers, grass cutters, cricket uniforms, bicycles and protective gear among others.
The BCB President stated that his administration understands the financial burden that clubs undergo to play the game and was delighted to assist as much as possible.
Meanwhile, the board also used the opportunity to distribute coloured uniforms to the 20 cricket coaches attached to its developmental programme. The coaches are attached to the BCB with the assistance of the Government of Guyana via Minister Nigel Dharmalall. The 20 coaches are based in the West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne area
The BCB boss expressed thanks to former national player Sheik Mohamed for his donation of the uniforms.
