18-year-old Berbice cricketer Kelvin Umroa aims to reach the top

Eighteen-year-old Kelvin Umroa is an all-round cricketer who plays for the Albion Cricket Club.
He was born at the New Amsterdam Hospital to Tajkumar Umroa and Seerojine Persaud –the second of three siblings.
He spent his early childhood at Reliance Settlement, East Canje, Berbice, but at the age of nine, he took up residency at Albion Front, Corentyne, Berbice with his parents. His childhood days were centred on going to school, hanging out with his friends, and watching television.
He attended the Cropper Primary School where he wrote the National Grade Six Assessment and was awarded a place at JC Chandisingh Secondary School where he completed his secondary education.
There, he wrote the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams and obtained five subjects –English, Principles of Business, Integrated Science, Social Studies and Electronic Document Preparation and Management (EDPM).
AS he did not perform well in Mathematics, he intends to take another shot at it soon. This talented cricketer draws his inspiration from his brother, Retash Umroa, who he would watch playing cricket at an early age.
Most times, Kelvin followed his older brother to his practice sessions and his games, and eventually, he was drawn into the game. At the age of 12, he played his first match against Demerara Cricket Club.
In that game, he did not bowl, but batted and scored four not out. He used that game as a stepping stone and with hard work and determination; he was selected to represent Guyana at the Under-15, -17 and -19 levels.
Although, he has achieved so much in a short space of time, his challenge has been balancing school and playing cricket, but with the support of his parents, managers and team-mates, he has a goal which is clear in his sight.
Presently, he is playing at the Under-19 and -21 Levels as well as First and Second Division for Albion Sport Club. In 2018, he represented Guyana at the Under-19 level and was also selected for a West Indies Under-19 training camp that was held in Antigua.
He thinks that was one of the highlights of his cricketing career.
His role model, he told <<<Guyana Times Entertainment>> is Guyanese cricketer Veerasammy Permaul, who also hails from the Ancient County. Nevertheless, in the next few years, he is hoping to become part of the Guyana Jaguars.
He however, noted that to become a successful cricketer, one must be disciplined, determined and dedicated. In addition, he believes one has to be patient. He is urging all the young guys who want to get involved in the game to follow their dreams and more importantly, make them a reality.
On a lighter note, the young Berbician likes fried rice and loves the colour red. One of his hobbies is to listen to music. On weekends, he finds some spare time to play cricket with his cousins and would visit his grandparents at Betsy Ground, Canje, Berbice.