Curtain comes down on Golden Grove Cricket Academy ECCB President tells Academy students he is there for them

Aug 31, 2019 Sports

Yesterday afternoon the curtains came down on a successful Cricket Academy at the Grove/ Nabaclis/ Haslington Community Centre organised by the Golden Grove Cricket Club on the East Coast of Demerara about 25 minutes from the City.

The officials (front row) including, ECCB President Bissoon Singh, Malcolm Peters & Esssie Peters with some of the GGCC Academy participants yesterday.

The afternoon’s proceedings were opened with a Prayer by Essie Peters the President of the Buxton ‘Carl Hooper’ Cricket club, while the President of the Golden Grove Cricket Club Alistair Haywood, former President of Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and ex Vice-President of the GCB, Malcom Peters were also present who spoke.
Also speaking at the closing Ceremony of the two-week Academy, which accommodated 72 students including a couple of females, was President of the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) Bissoon Singh, who told the students that he was there for them.
The Academy conducted sessions in a wide variety of topics including the practical skills on the field.
“East Coast is between Ogle and Abarry and if any of you have any difficulties getting to school you can call me,” said Singh who provided the youngsters with his mobile number.
Singh spoke about the opportunities cricket can provide even if you don’t become a player.
“Cricket has become a commercial entity and you can have a comfortable living from being involved in cricket as an Umpire, scorer, Administrator, commentator or cricket Journalist. But you should not forsake your school work since that is very important for your life,” Singh said.
Singh acknowledged the efforts of the work of those at the head table for what he described as a Community Development project and thanked the Parents for making the sacrifice to send their children to make them not only good cricketers but better persons.
He also told the gathering about peer pressure and asked to go back to school and use ‘positive peer pressure’ to let them know what they would have learned from their time spent there.
Singh said that knowledge is information received and stored for a positive reason while he ended with quotes from the President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, who spent 28 years of his life in jail for his fight against the apartheid System which discriminated against non-whites.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world”.
“The greatest glory in living lies not, in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”.
Singh presented school books, pencils and pens to each participant who were presented with Certificates.
Most of the speakers stressed on the importance of school which reopens on Monday and said they hoped the Children would take what they learnt from there into their various schools and communities. (Sean Devers)