Secondary School cricket returns to West Berbice, historic Primary School tourney for 14 schools as BCB invests heavily into youth development

Jan 17, 2023 Sports

Kaieteur News – “You have the opportunity to assist us to unearth new cricketing talents to continue the legacy of Kanhai, Butcher, Solomon, Fredericks and Kallicharran. Berbice is known across the world for producing outstanding cricketers and we owe it to the next generation to continue the tradition. The Berbice Cricket Board under my leadership is fully committed to lifting our cricket to its highest ever level and it would be our privilege to work with you in this noble quest,” stated BCB President Hilbert Foster when he and a delegation from the board met with sports teachers of primary and secondary schools in the West Berbice area.

Foster was accompanied by Secretary Angela Haniff, Chairman of the Selection Committee Balram Samaroo, Chairman of the Competition Committee Leslie Solomon, West Berbice President David Black and Coach Shamal Angel. The teachers were informed that the pro active cricket board would be reintroducing cricket into secondary schools with at least two tournaments in 2023, while for the first time in its eighty fours year history, the BCB would be hosting an under11 inter primary school tournament. Six secondary schools in region five will participate in the thirty over per side tournament, while fourteen primary schools would be involved in a ten overs Tapeball tournament from early next month.

BCB Executives pose with the teachers after the meeting.

Foster, who was on his seventy ninth visit to the sub association since his election in early 2018, disclosed that the secondary school tournament would be for under19 players born on or after the first of September 2004, while the cut-off date for the primary school under11 tournament would be the first of September 2012. Students shall have an attendance rate of seventy five percent to play.

The BCB late last year had provided the six secondary schools with cricket uniforms, gears and cricket balls to prepare for the expected tournament, while the fourteen primary schools would shortly receive two bats and a set of tape flannel balls to assist them to play.

Each primary school would be required to select four females in their fourteen man squad, while two shall have to be selected in the final eleven. One of the ten overs shall also be bowled by a female player.

Chairman of Competitions Leslie Solomon explained that the winner of both the primary and secondary levels would go on to play the champions from Lower Corentyne, New Amsterdam /Canje and Upper Corentyne to determine the overall Berbice champion. The different winners would each receive vouchers to purchase stationery and other needed items for the school.

Foster also informed the teachers that the BCB would also be providing copies of its historic coaching manual and youth information booklet to the schools to assist them to properly prepare their students for the tournaments.

The selection committee under the chairmanship of Samaroo, a former national junior cricketer, along with the BCB coaches working in region five, will select a special twenty four member squad for both levels. A panel of coaches would work along with the selected for two days to assist in their development. The secondary school tournament would be sponsored by Latchman Construction and Landscaping Inc, while the primary school would be sponsored by Caribbean Motors and Dhanpaul Sukhra.

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Angela Hanif, BCB President Hilbert Foster, Butcher, Kanhai, Secondary School cricket

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