WICB/Digicel launch Grassroots cricket Programme in Guyana

Apr 09, 2011 Sports

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By Sean Devers

At a time when both West Indies and Guyana’s cricket are ailing, the development of new young talent is imperative to the revival of the game, and yesterday cell phone giants Digicel opened another chapter in their contribution to West Indies Cricket.
With the Scotia Bank Kiddies cricket programme already up and running to unearth future stars, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in collaboration with Digicel, yesterday officially launched its Grassroots Programme in Guyana at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground.
The Grassroots Programme is a training programme developed by the WICB to attract youths, ages 11 to 17, back to the game of cricket. The programme will be implemented in Guyana in 16 clusters scattered across the country.
Guyana’s Territorial Development Officer (TDO) Reon King, himself a former West Indies Test player, said that target areas are those not usually associated with cricket being popular among youngsters due to location of economic constraints.
The Programme is a WICB Training Programme administered by certified coaches and will make available to all participants in the programme, the necessary gear and training equipment required, along with whatever else is needed to complete the Training Programme.
Yesterday Digicel’s CEO Gregory Deen officially handed over bats, pads, gloves and helmets to Guyana Cricket Board Secretary and WICB Director Anand Sanasie in the presence of several excited youngsters and some of the coaches who will be involved in the programme which gets going on April 16.
King said it is the hope of the WICB that the programme will attract young people who may never have had the opportunity to be part of the game and experience cricket; and, consequently, the Programme aims to find talent that can be nurtured to represent the various territories in the region and by extension the West Indies.
Digicel, the bigger, better network in Guyana, has been sponsors of the West Indies team since 2004 and at yesterday’s launching, the Company’s Marketing official Shonette Moore said that Digicel is committed to the growth and expansion of cricket at all levels throughout the Caribbean.
“In September 2010, the WICB and Digicel launched the youth Cricket Development Programme, a two-year agreement that will see youth development clinics take place in all WICB territorial boards,” Moore informed. She added that the Digicel Youth Cricket Development Programme is a long-term succession plan for West Indies Cricket, aimed at ensuring sustainability at the national and International levels by creating a pool of skilled young players who will further drive the growth and success of the game.
Deen said that the Grassroots programme expands on the fundamentals learnt in the Scotiabank Kiddies Cricket Programme, targeting those who have been apart of that initiative as well as other young people who are interested in cricket regardless of their cricketing experience.
The Digicel CEO said he wants to see Guyana’s cricket recover and feels that if corporate Guyana gets involved by providing the tools for the development of the young players, Guyana’s future as a cricketing force could be a reality.
He said that this Digicel programme will feature clinics which will focus on introducing the cricketers to more intensive practice and preparation processes, as well as simulating competitions to teach them how to compete at major tournaments.
“Digicel is committed to sharing the fun, excitement and passion of cricket with everyone. We are pleased to provide this outlet, through which aspiring youth cricketers across the Caribbean can understand and experience what makes cricket great,” Deen disclosed.
He added that through this program, Digicel is once again leading the way in supporting the development of cricket in the region and feels that this grassroots level is critical in ensuring that West Indies re-emerges as a formidable force.
Sanasie said that as a part of the grassroots programme, a funding grant of up to US$5,000 will be provided to each community based cricket organization to improve the quality and standards of local community cricket grounds and the community training programme.
He said that preference will be given to clubs and clusters that have a current training program and have attracted the support of the local community especially the young members of the community
Sanasie informed that the WICB, Digicel grassroots program will make available US$360,000 over the next two years to assist in the development of clubs across the region. He said that clubs and organized groups can apply for up to US$5,000 in aid to the WICB for development in infrastructure development, to strengthen training programs or to procure gear and equipment.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Phulandar Khandhai stressed the need for the strengthening of schools cricket and said that it is important that Guyana’s cricket is strong again since when Guyana’s cricket is strong West Indies cricket is usually strong.
Director of Sports Neil Kumar said this is a most encouraging programme and commended Digicel for their continued support cricket.
Kumar added that the National Sports Commission and Sports Ministry are working with the UNDP to promote cricket in the rural areas and said it is amazing to see how many cricket grounds are available in rural Guyana.
“The rural areas in the past have produced some of Guyana’s most outstanding players like Rohan Kanhai and Roy Fredericks and even now that our cricket standard is not as high as it used to be the rural communities continue to give us some of our best players,” Kumar said.
The Digicel Programme is a highly interactive programme that also gives the youth cricketers the opportunity of selection on their national teams at under-15 and under-17 levels based on their performances in the end-of-quarter assessment matches.
Sanasie said the 12-15 age groups will run for five weeks and goes right up to the West Indies under-15 tournament giving the national youth selectors more options when choosing the Guyana under-15 team.

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