Letter to the Sports Editor Berbice Cricket Board of Control responds

Apr 22, 2019 Features / Columnists, News, Sports

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Dear Editor,
The Berbice Cricket Board has noted with some amusement a letter written by Ms Carol Nurse, Secretary of the West Berbice Cricket Association that there are phantom clubs in the Ancient County. The letter appeared in at least two daily newspapers and Ms. Nurse also stated that no executive meetings have been held for the year. The Management of the Berbice Cricket Board since its election on the 18th February, 2018 has worked beyond the call of duties to lift Berbice Cricket out of the deep hole it found itself under the then administration.
The Berbice Cricket Board would like to inform the General Public that there are no phantom clubs in Berbice and that every Berbice Cricket Board Members is very active.
a) Mt. Sinai Cricket Club under the Presidency of Neil Rudder has a membership of over 50 members and has participated in the BCB Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, Under-21, Intermediate and Second Division Tournaments. They are currently playing in the Friends of Cricket 100 Balls.
b) Guymine Cricket Club under the leadership of Albert Smith and Gregory Crandon has played in every Second Division Tournament in 2018 and 2019 along with the Hetmyer Intermediate Tournament.
c) Kildonan Cricket Club under the Presidency of Qualis Winter has participated in every Second Division Tournament in 2018 and 2019 and is currently preparing for the upcoming NBS 40-Overs Tournament.
d) Mental Hospital Cricket Club since 2018 has been involved in Second Division and Intermediate Cricket under the Presidency of Jevaughn Stephen. Players like Stephen Latcha and Kellon Henry represent Mental Hospital, while great efforts are made to restore the Mental Hospital Ground.
e) The Upper Corentyne Cricket Association is the best organised Cricket Association in Berbice and organises cricket at all levels for its membership.
f) Clubs like Blairmont Community Centre, Police Sports Club, Rose Hall Canje Welfare, Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, Young Warriors Cricket Club, Chesney Cricket Club, Albion Community Centre, Whim National and Port Mourant Cricket club need no introduction and have their own proper management structures and play regularly in Berbice Cricket Board Tournaments on a regular basis.
The only member of the Berbice Cricket Board that the Berbice Cricket Board cannot account for is the Berbice River Cricket Association as the persons who turned up to represent the association are all coast liners.
As to the accusation that the Berbice Cricket Board does not hold executive meetings, our records indicate that a total of thirteen executive meetings have been held since March 2018 including three in 2019. The last Executive Meeting was chaired by Vice President Qualis Winter in the unavoidable absence of the President. Less we forget, the public must be reminded that the current administration took over the Berbice Cricket Board with $42,000 in its Bank Account, no developmental programme was organised in a long time while for two years, no proper cricket tournament was organised, much less completed.
The record would show that through a collective effort, the Berbice Cricket Board has raised over $15M in cash and kind, launched over forty cricket tournaments at the different levels. Tournaments as follows: Under-13, Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, Under-21, Female, Primary School, Secondary School, Intermediate, Internal Zone, Second Division and First Division. Additionally dozens of developmental programmes have been implemented at great cost, while clubs have benefitted from donations of cricket balls, trophies, weather coats, cricket gears and score books among others.
The West Berbice area has never played so much cricket like under the current administration and the majority of the clubs are very grateful. Among the tournaments that West Berbice teams played are: Da Silva Under-13, Two Editions of Sarwan Under-17, Two Editions of New York Business Group Under-19, Two Editions of Elizabeth Styles Under-21, Hetmyer Intermediate, NBS 40-Overs Second Division, Pepsi 50-Overs First Division, Ramphal Double Wicket, Busta Champion of Champions, Patron’s Fund Cup among others. The Berbice Cricket Board has also organised two tournaments for Clubs in the Sub-Association: the Magic Moments 20/20 and Perry Gossai Memorial 100 Balls Tournaments. One of the Clubs that have benefitted from the BCB/RHTYSC Outreach Programme is the Achievers Cricket Club, which received a bicycle, trophies, cricket balls, score books etc.
The Berbice Cricket Board would like to reassure every Berbician that every Executive Member has been committed to lifting the game even further. Over the next few weeks, the Board would be unveiling some major cricket tournaments and more developmental programmes. Corporate Guyana, all players, Clubs, parents, local leaders and the general public have full confidence in the Berbice Cricket Board and we have committed ourselves to doing even more in the future. The majority of the clubs who voted against the administration have worked hand in hand with us and we would like Ms. Nurse and the West Berbice Cricket Association to do the same.
Berbice Cricket Board.

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