RHTYSC completes another fruitful year 35th annual Christmas outreach a massive success

Jan 07, 2026 Sports

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Kaieteur Sports – For the 35^th   successive year, the cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, M.S hosted a highly successful Christmas outreach programme as part of their personal development programme. The programme was launched on the 1st of December and closed off on Sunday 28th.  Club Secretary Hilbert Foster and cricket manager Robby Kissoonlall both described the month-long programme as the best ever and expressed delight that the teams were able to make the festive season a little brighter for thousands of less fortunate kids and their families.

The massive Christmas outreach programme included the distribution of eight hundred food hampers to less fortunate families, each food hamper included different items including flour, sugar, cooking oil, matches, sweet soap, macaroni, chowmein, onion, garlic, salt and tomato sauce. The teams also shared out one hundred special hampers in conjunction with minister Vickram Bharrat of the Ministry of Natural Resources.   On Monday 15th of December, the cricket teams hosted a Christmas party for 250 kids at the Area ‘H’ ground. Each child received a Christmas toy, goodies bag, a collection of items and a lot of food.

Hundreds of residents, including members of the St Francis Xavier Roman Catholic church received a special Christmas package consisting of apples, grapes, walnuts, Drinks, juice, sweets and biscuits. Over four thousand Christmas toys were shared out across Berbice via a network of sister organizations, while dozens of families also received a Christmas day breakfast consisting of juice, a loaf of baked bread, and pepper pot.

Financial assistance was also provided to twelve less Fortunate families, while others benefitted from the donation of footwear, clothing and educational materials.

The highlight of the 2025 programme was the hosting of the eleventh edition of the Rose Hall Town Christmas village in the compound of Rose Hall Town primary school. Thousands of excited children accompanied their parents to visit the village, which consisted of numerous inflatable characters, 20-foot Christmas tree, toy house, the nativity scene, family bridge, horror house, photo studio, trampolines, bouncy castle and numerous children’s games.

The 2025 programme was organized by the Poonai’s Pharmacy Under 13, Farfan and Mendes Under 15, Bakewell Under 17, Pepsi Under 19, Metro Females and Namilco Thunderbolt Flour Under 21 teams. The teams would like to express thanks to everyone who assisted in making the programme a success, especially the Office of the Prime Minister, KSM Investment, Bakewell, Panthera Solutions, Professor Paloma Mohamed, Minister Vickram Bharrat, Minister Collin Croal, former Member of Parliament Faizal Jaferally, Zamal Hussain MP, VNet Communications, the Nero’s sisters, Francessa Trotman among others.

Meanwhile, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports club has described 2025 as a fairly successful year despite numerous challenges. The club was able to successfully complete its annual target of 700 activities during the year under a wide range of sub-headings like sports, educational, cultural, medical, community development, awards, coaching, anti-drugs and anti-suicide. Among the successful activities hosted were the tributes to teachers, tribute to outstanding studies, honoring of municipality workers, medical outreach, distribution of eye glasses, Republic Bank Grade 6 summer camp, Busta/Bakewell cricket academy, elite coaching for junior, Basil Butcher Trust Fund, Television programme, tribute to mothers, Walter Nero Fathers’ day programme, Naeem Nasir Memorial cricket tournament, tribute to Firemen, tribute to Postal workers, anti-drugs television commercials and feeding the poor.

The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club won several tournaments on the cricket field including the Under 13 and the Doomsday 10 overs tournament. We also received the BCB Club of the Year Award during the year.

The club produced fifteen national players for Guyana at all levels, while five club members represented the West Indies at different levels. Kevlon Anderson, Kevin Sinclair, Shemaine Campbelle, Shabika Gajnabi played for the senior team, while Trisha Hardat represented the West Indies Under 19 team in the World Cup. Other RHTYSC members who represented the senior Guyana team were Junior Sinclair, Slyus Tyndall, Sheneeta Grimmond, Trisha Hardat and Plaffina Millington. Raffel McKenzie and Jayden Ganpat represent the national Under 15 and Under 13 respectively. They impressed everyone with their bowling.

Ganpat won the best under 13 bowler awards for Guyana, while off spinner Plaffina Millington copped the CWI T/20 bowler of the Year award for female cricketers. Hardat, Daniella Hicks, Daniela Manns and Jada Fraser represented the national female under 19 team with Manns emerging the best bowler.

Shemaine Campbelle became the first Guyanese female captain to win a CWI Championship and also the first Guyanese to captain the West Indies. A total of twenty-eight RHTYSC members represented Berbice at all level in 2025 with 11 at the female senior level- Hardat, Gajnabi, Campbelle, Sherica Campbelle, Manns, Hicks, Tinu Sudhu, Jada Fraser, Leah Kemalall, Sheneeta Grimmond and Plaffina Millington. New faces representing the county or GCB 11 in 2025 included Tinu Sudhu, Khemraj Bharrat, Royston Crandon Jr., Balraj Narine and Dinesh Singh.

Kissoonlall, the long serving cricket manager stated that among the highlights of the year was Kevlon Anderson becoming the third RHTYSC test player, Shemaine Campbelle becoming the first Guyanese female to captain the West Indies and the club winning the BCB under 13 title. He further disclosed that members of the club benefitted from over 2.5 million dollars worth of cricket gear, uniforms, educational materials, electronic tablets, electronic bikes, cycles and house household equipment during the year as part of the club’s personal development project. Foster, the former President of the Berbice Cricket Board, noted that 2026 has started on a positive note with five RHTYSC members been selected on the Guyana Senior Female Team. The players are Shemaine Campbelle, Shenika Gajnabi, Sheneeta Grimmond, Plaffina Millington and Daniella Manns. The club is aiming to win at least five BCB titles in 2026 and producing a minimum of 16 national players. The teams of the RHTYSC are Poonai’s Pharmacy Under 11 and Under 13, Farfan and Mendes Under 15, Bakewell Under 17 and second division, Pepsi Under 19, Metro Females and Namilco Thunderbolt Flour Under 21 and First Division.

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• Christmas outreach, Hilbert Foster, RHTYSC, Robby Kissoonlall

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