Hetmeyer to sponsor three cricket tournaments for BCB in 2021

Jan 17, 2021 Sports

BCB President Hilbert Foster hands over Award of Excellence to Shimron Hetmeyer.

Kaieteur News – “I am delighted to be a part of the development of Berbice cricket as I am very impressed by the direction where it’s heading and because I fully understand the importance of giving back to the county, where it all started,” these were the words of West Indies player Shimron Hetmeyer to President of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Hilbert Foster.
The 24 year-old middle order batsman to the surprise of the Foster presented a cheque valued quarter of a million dollars ($250,000) for the hosting of two, one-day grassroots tournaments at the Rose Hall Canje and Young Warriors Grounds, respectively.
The BCB has set itself the hosting of at least 10 such tournaments as part of its efforts to renew the passion for the game the club level after an almost one year break due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The tournaments would be played without spectators as the Board observes the guidelines of the National Covid-19 Task Force. Foster stated that the BCB is seeking to assist some clubs to attract younger players to their membership, to inspire them to be more proactive and also to give them an opportunity to win a BCB tournament.
Most of the tournaments in the county are won by the dominant Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC) and Albion and this has affected the morale of some clubs as they find it very difficult to compete against the more organised clubs.
They would also be in a position to take home very vital prize money. The BCB has already raised funds for tournaments at the following venues: Bush Lot Farm, Whim, Port Mourant, Fyrish, Chesney, No. 19 Kendall Union, Young Warriors, Rose Hall Canje, Edinburgh, Bush Lot Village and West Coast Berbice.
Among the sponsors to join hands with the board are Mahendra and Vishal Nagamootoo, Troy Halley and Narsingh Deonarine.
The tournaments at the Canje and Young Warriors would see the three teams playing for the Shimron Hetmeyer Challenge Cup and a cash prize. Hetmeyer also announced that he would renew his sponsorship of the BCB Intermediate tournament which he had sponsored in 2019.
The tournament was not played in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic. The sponsorship for that tournament would be $300,000 and clubs would be allowed a maximum of four first division players per match.
Foster and Hetmeyer also discussed other areas of cooperation and more announcements are expected shortly. The BCB President handed over a collection of publications from the Board and RHTY&SC to Hetmeyer and also presented a special award.
The powerfully built player was unable to attend the Brian Ramphal Awards ceremony on December 27 last. Fellow national players Veersammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Nial Smith, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair and former Test player Clayton Lambert were also honoured for their contributions to cricket.
Foster expressed gratitude to Hetmeyer for his support of his administration and Berbice cricket whilst noting that the Board had named 2021, the ‘Year of Investment’ and it is very pleasing to see the immense outpouring of support from former and current players.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News