RHTYSC, BCB launch Basil Butcher Trust Project in tribute to West Indies legend

Jul 15, 2020 Sports

– shares out 500 hampers and assist family whose house fell down

The ten cricket teams of Guyana leading youth and sports club, the Rose Hall town Youth and Sports Club, MS in conjunction with the Berbice Cricket Board has launched another project to make a positive difference in the lives of the less fortunate in Berbice.

Ms Latchminarine with the donated items.

Teams-Poonai Pharmacy Under 12, under13, Farfan and Mendes under15, Bakewell under 17 and Second Division, Pepsi under 19 and Intermediate, Metro Females and Namilco Under 21 and First Division with the blessings of the family of the late West Indies batting legend has launched the Basil Butcher Trust Project. With the cooperation of the pro active BCB, The teams has to date shared out over 500 food hampers in the West Berbice, New Amsterdam Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne and has assisted the family of Ms Roopranie Latchminarine of No 67 village, whose house felled down during a recent storm.
Secretary/CEO of the RHTYSC and President of the BCB, Hilbert Foster stated that the late Basil Butcher was a very close friend of the club and played a major role in the development of its cricket section and charity outreach programme. The management sought and was granted the permission by the Butcher Family to honour the veteran of 44 test matches for the West Indies.
Butcher scored 3104 runs at an average of 43.10 with seven centuries and 16 half centuries. His highest test score was a brilliant 209 not out versus England, while he scored 11,628 runs at the first class level with 31 centuries and 54 half centuries at an amazing average of 49.90.

The late Basil Butcher at a BCBC presentation

After his retirement at the age of thirty six years in 1969, Butcher served Guyana and West Indies cricket as an administrator with great success.
The teams and the BCB intends to assist dozens of less fortunate players with cricket gears under the project, such as batting gloves, batting pads and wicketkeeping gloves, while bicycles would also be given to less fortunate students in an effort to get them to attend school regularly when it reopens after the corona virus crisis.
The RHTYSC with the support of Blossom Butcher has opened a Go Fund Me account in the United States to raise funds for the project.
Foster led an eight man delegation to distribute the hampers and also handed over a special donation of food items, clothing, footwear, household and kitchen utilities to the Latchminarine family. Foster also committed the club and the board to assisting the family in the future and wished them well as they try to carry on with their lives after the family house felled down during a storm. He urged them to remain strong in their faith of God.
The team also shared out food hampers in the No 65 Squatting Area, where dozens of families lives in poor conditions.
The RHTYSC and BCB over the last four months have shared out twenty one thousand pounds of chicken products, cleaning supplies and hundreds of face masks as part of the Corona Virus response programme. Foster has stated that as long as he remains head of both organisations, they would be involved in activities to make positive differences.
The cricket teams would like to express gratitude to all the donors to the effort including NAMILCO, Bounty Farm, Farfan and Mendes Ltd, Bakewell among others.