BCB $2M Patron Fund to assist first division clubs, youth cricketers

…four social seminars to be hosted as part of massive developmental programme

The outstanding work of the Hilbert Foster-led Berbice Cricket Board would receive a massive boost on Saturday 6th November when the second edition of the BCB Patron Fund is launched.
BCB Patron Minister Vickram Bharrat and President Hilbert Foster are expected to launch the Fund during a special social skills seminar for youth cricketers at the New Amsterdam Secondary School.
Minister Bharrat was last year inducted as the first ever Honorary Patron of the BCB on 7th November, and hosted the first edition of the Patron Fund. A total of 13 youth players each received $200,000 in cricket gear, while the BCB’s
cricket development programme received a million dollars under the 2020 edition.
The Patron committed $2M to the fund in 2021, as he congratulated Foster on the outstanding work of the BCB despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the 2021 edition of the Fund, the 11 first division clubs in the county would each receive $100,000 worth of white balls for the upcoming season.
Foster has said that the combined $1.1M dollars’ worth of balls would assist the clubs a great deal, as the cost of balls has climbed heavily during the covid pandemic. The clubs which will receive the balls are West Berbice, Blairmont, Police, Tucber Park, Rose Hall Canje, Young Warriors, Albion, RHTY&SC, Port Mourant, Skeldon and Upper Corentyne.
The BCB plans to host at least five tournaments at the senior level whenever the National Task Force grants permission for a restart of the 20/20, 40 overs, 100 balls, 50 overs, and two-day levels of cricket.
Distribution of the balls would be done in late November.
Four hundred thousand dollars would be invested in the Patron’s Educational Grant programme. Twenty junior players would each receive a grant of $20,000 to assist them to obtain educational materials for school. Foster and his executives have invested heavily in the educational careers of youths, with hundreds of junior players receiving grants to assist their pursuit of an educational background.
Each cricketer would receive a voucher to uplift the items from a popular stationery store.
The final part of the 2021 Patron’s Fund would be the hosting of four social skills seminar across the county. The seminars are the brainchild of Minister Bharrat, and would be held in the four sub-associations of West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne, and Upper Corentyne. Each of the seminars would involve 40 under 19 players, and would be conducted by graduate students of the University of Guyana’s Social Work class.
Among the topics to be covered are table manners, public speaking, drug abuse, suicide, peer pressure, personal manners, how to handle your finance, importance of discipline, importance of education, and importance of religion.
The BCB Patron and President both agreed on the importance of the county producing not just outstanding cricketers, but all-round individuals who would be sports ambassadors for the country.
Foster has also indicated that all players selected to represent the county in the future would have to be involved in these sessions as part of the BCB’s comprehensive development programme.