Minister Ramson opens MSC Cricket Academy

Jul 19, 2022 Sports

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Students can still register for life changing experience

 By Sean Devers

Yesterday at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) on Thomas Road, Thomas Lands, vibrant, young Minister of Culture, Youth & Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, officially opened the Malteenoes Cricket Academy which will run from July 18-30.

The two-week Academy, the first since 2018 due the Pandemic, will catering for both male and female participants within the age range of 7-18 years.

With the recently cut ground taking a pounding from the rain, the close to 60 students, including four Girls and three Boys from Essequibo, were told that Minister Ramson has allowed the eager participants the use of the National Gymnasium and the National Park Tarmac to do their Cricket drills since the ground was in an unplayable condition.

The activities which will run from Monday through Friday between the hours of 9AM and 3PM commenced in earnest at 11:AM yesterday with Umpire Colin Alfred speaking about the Laws of Cricket before the participants had their first batting and bowling drills from 1PM at the National Park.

Among the facilitators expected are Clyde Butts, Leon Johnson, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Roger Harper, Reon King and Shawn Massiah.

Minister Ramson told the excited youngsters that a similar Academy at GCC at age eight, opened doors for him that aided in where he today.

A Queen’s College ‘Old Boy’ who played First-Division cricket for Everest as a left-arm spinner, Ramson stressed the need to combine an Education and Sports and asked the parents present to look at Sports as not just a hobby but as something they could earn a decent living from.

Ramson told the gathering that they must have a plan, and urged them to be the ‘best’ without compromising their team and how important it is to develop the ‘winning mind-set’.

Neil Barry, the GCA President and former President of MSC, told that gathering that Everest recently held a successful Academy and informed that he was pleased that GCA clubs are holding such development work for the youths.

He also posited that this Academy is not only about cricket but about developing a well-balanced individual, adding that several former MSC players are very successful as they make a contribution to their Country outside of cricket.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony were MSC Vice-President Shawn Holder, Steven Jacobs who played a massive role in putting this event together, Deborah McNicolson, the only female President of a cricket club in the Caribbean and a representative of the Academy’s premiere sponsor, Remote Medical, Mashaun Tyrell.

The enthusiastic youngsters, mostly between the ages of 11 and 12, were told of the history of Malteenoes which was founded in 1902 by a Bajan Tailor named Ferdinand Archer and told to have fun while working hard to get the most out the two weeks spent at this Academy.

“Malteenoes was formed to facilitate young people from the lower end of the economic strata to hone their sporting talent, being a support, development and mentorship system to some of the commonly known names in Guyanese cricket.

Malteenoes has produced West Indian players such as Charlie Jones, Glendon Gibbs, Rex Collymore, Barrington Brown, Colin Stuart, Kenneth Wong and Indomattie Goordial, while Test Players John Trim and Clayton Lambert from Berbice have also played for Malteenoes,” disclosed Jacobs, a former West Indies U-19 Captain.

The club has produced 27 National under-19 players between 1975 and 2013 and 32 who played for MSC that played for the National senior team between 1909 and 2009 and eight International players between 1930 and 2003, including Goordial who was the last Malteenoes player to play Test cricket in 2004 when West Indies’ Women played the last of their 12 Test matches.

In July/August 1993, under the presidency of GCB’s Executive, Claude Raphael, MSC held the first National Cricket Academy in the West Indies for youths from all three Counties in Guyana with the ‘out of Town’ players provided live-in accommodation at the club.

Malteenoes held a scaled down the Academy in 2018 when Berbician Brandon Corlette, now one of leading cricket journalists in Guyana, was one of the participants.

Leg-spinner Steven Sankar was the last National Youth player since 2013, while Shemroy Barrington was the last First-Class player (2009) from MSC.

“In 1987, Colwin Cort, Barrington Browne, Glen Robinson, Nigel Greaves, Shawn Holder, Sean Devers and the late Neezam Hafiz, dubbed the ‘Magnificent seven’ were a part of the National U-19 to tour Jamaica for the Regional youth series which is still the record for the most players selected from one club on any National Cricket team,” revealed the MSC President.

It is hoped that this year’s Academy can once again re-produce quality youth players like MSC did in the past.

Applicants can still pick-up registration forms at Jacobs Jewellery & Pawn shop, Pike Street, Kitty as well as the Malteenoes Sports Club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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