BCB completes highly successful 2023

…Lists main highlights of Cricket development program

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) enjoyed a highly successful calendar year 2023 under the leadership of Hilbert Foster, and is currently preparing for a hectic 2024 under the new leadership of Dr. Cecil Beharry, who was elected chairman on December 17.
The highlight of the year was a selection of 13 Berbicians on different West Indies teams: senior, academy and A. The players were Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Isai Thorne, Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Shemaine Campbelle, Sheneta Grimmond, Shabika Gajnabi, Ashmini Munisar and Anna Grimmond.
Joseph and Sinclair earned maiden call-ups to the Test team, while Munisar became the first West Indies female Under-19 Captain, before making her senior international debut.
Seven Barbicans also played for the Amazon Warriors during the 2023 tournament. They were Hetmyer, Shepherd, Junior Sinclair, Anderson Kevin Sinclair and Joseph.

Four females also played for the female version of the tournament: Campbelle, Grimmond, Gajnabi and Munisar.
Several Berbicians also played at the senior CWI level for Guyana at the four-day and one-day levels as the county continues to dominate national selection.
At the junior level, four Berbicians were in the national under-13 team, six in the under-17, six in the under-19.
Devon Clements gained selection on the West Indies Over-40 team to tour Pakistan, while three Berbice females gained selection on the West Indies A team tour to Pakistan and the senior female team to Australia.
Three players: Motie, Joseph and Kevin Sinclair, are currently in Australia with the West Indies team, while Isai Thorne is with the West Indies Under-19 World Cup team.
Junior Sinclair was adjudged the best emerging player of the 2023 Caribbean Premier League, while Kevlon Anderson scored his first two first class centuries and Isai Thorne had a remarkable start to his first-class career representing the West Indies Cricket Academy.

During the course of 2023, the BCB launched a total of 34 cricket tournaments at all levels, including a historic under-11 inter-club. The levels were under-11, under- 13, under-15, under-17, under-19, under-23, second division, first division, inter-zone, females, primary schools, secondary schools, and inter-zone at the junior level. Over 70 percent of the tournaments have been successfully completed, including the RL Construction U15, Ali’s Bakery U17, Brian Ramphal U17 inter-zone, Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh U19 inter-zone, Sir James France Berbice River Tournament, Dave Imports Berbice River, Latchmansingh West Berbice inter-primary, MASS Inter Secondary Schools, Roy Baijnauth Memorial inter-primary, UCCA Price is Right, Romario Shepherd U13, Jumbo Jet T/20.
The BCB was also able to attract the services of eighteen cricket coaches/ trainers within Regions 5 and 6, with assistance of the Government of Guyana and the Region 6 RDC.
The offices of the BCB have also benefitted from the services of two officers under the Government of Guyana’s ten-day work programme.
International cricket journalist Gregory Fean visited Berbice in February last to do a feature article on Berbice cricket for the Inter-Caribbean Airline quarterly magazine “The Cacique”, while the BCB, with the assistance of famed Cricket writer Tony McWatts, launched a bi-monthly online magazine named “Quick Pitch”. This online magazine would promote Berbice Cricket globally.
The BCB also hosted Alvin Kallicharran, the former West Indies captain, on official visit which included the launching of his cricket book and a one-day coaching clinic with batsmen at the historic Port Mourant ground.

The board, with sponsorship from the Guyana Breweries Inc, also unveiled the Berbice Test Players Billboard in front of the Port Mourant ground, while it joined hands with the University of Guyana to open the historic Berbice Cricketers Wall of Fame.
A total of 31 players who represented West Indies from 1948 to 2023 were honoured with official portraits at the University. The BCB and the University also agreed on two educational scholarships for two Berbice cricketers, and the two entities also worked on the printing of an undated cricket coaching manual for hundreds of youth cricketers in the county.
The BCB also hosted a successful junior captains’ seminar, spearheaded by Level Three coaches Esuan Crandon, Winston Smith and Julian Moore. Coaches across the county were also involved in a refresher course supervised by the most successful Cricket coach in the West Indies, Esuan Crandon, at the Albion Cricket ground.
Cricket clinics were held for youth cricketers in the four sub-associations, while the BCB annual Dr. Tulsie Dyal Singh Cricket Academy was held at the Port Mourant ground for seventy youths.
All secondary and primary schools in the county received assistance from the BCB as part of its cricket development plans. Secondary Schools each received a complete set of white uniforms along with cricket balls and cricket gear, while over sixty primary schools received tapeball gear.

As part of its cricket development programme, the BCB also constructed five batting cages, which are based at Bush Lot United, Rose Hall Canje, Rose Hall Town, Port Mourant, and NO 72 Cut and Load; while these five clubs, along with Cotton Tree, each benefitted from the receipt of a bowling machine to assist in the department of their junior players.
The county also benefitted from a donation of 24 other bowling machines from Matt Breuer, a friend of Berbice cricket who resides in Australia. Several clubs and schools benefitted, including Tucber Park, Bath Achievers, Skeldon, Berbice River and Gangaram in East Canje. Clubs like Whim, Police and D’Edward also received batting practice nets from the BCB.
It must be recalled that the BCB, in the past two years, had obtained cricket pitch covers for Cotton Tree, Edinburgh, Albion, Rose Hall Town and #72 Cut and Load. The BCB has also assisted dozens of clubs with practice nets, catching cribs and cricket gear.
The county’s 11 first division team each received five boxes of white cricket balls, as did the Berbice River Cricket Association, under the Patrons Fund, while over 80 cricket clubs also received $1 million worth of red balls under the Shimron/Nirvani Hetmyer Trust Fund.
The Faizal Jaffarally Trust Fund provided cricket balls and wicket-keeping gloves for West Berbice clubs.
Additionally, 24 youth cricketers in Berbice received $1 million worth of cricket gear from the Zamal Hussain Trust Fund. Each cricketer received a cricket bat, a pair of batting gloves and a pair of batting pads.
The BCB would shortly distribute about $3 million worth of coaching equipment and gear to about 22 clubs with youth teams under the Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi Trust Fund, while the Pro Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Dr. Edward Greene, has also committed to hosting another trust fund to benefit youth players.
Region 6 Chairman David Armogan has also agreed to host another trust fund. Albion, RHTY&SC, Tucber Park and Rose Hall Canje have each hosted successful club academies, while the BCB, in its wisdom, also introduced a President’s XI consisting of youth players to its first division structure.
Several outstanding Guyanese were also rewarded with the BCB’s highest award, Tribute to Heroes. They include Dr. Edward Greene, Dr. Paloma Mohammed, Dr. Gomes, and Jainarine Deochand of the University of Guyana.
One hundred youths would also shortly receive $8M worth of cricket gear from the Government of Guyana, while the BCB is expected to get another grass-cutter.
The BCB would like to express its gratitude to the Government of Guyana, especially to President Dr Infaan Ali, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, and Ministers Collin Croal, Dr. Ashni Singh and Vickram Bharrat. The BCB would also like to express gratitude to Faizal Jaffarally MP, Rion Peters, Zamal Hussain, Navindra Persaud, Dr. Tulsie Dyal Singh, Dr. Puran Singh, Manzoor Nadir, Shimron Hetmyer, Anil Lalsa, Dr. Terrence Blackman, Sheik Mohammed, Brian Ramphal, Renaldo Lewis, Peter Lewis, Ishwar Singh, Armco Construction , Chandradat Chintamani, University of Guyana, Latchman Construction, Republic Bank, Dhanpaul Sukhra, Ricky Moore, Dr. Frank Denbow, Ali’s Bakery, Diors Bits and Pieces, Nolan France, George Baijnauth, MASS Security, Alvin Kallicharran, Tony McWatt, Inter Caribbean Airline, Imran Shaffeeullah, Esaun Crandon, Matt Breuer, Price is Right, NPG Packaging, Vishu SuperStar, Arjune Nandu, Harrinarine Chattergoon, Kris Jagdeo and Dave Narine, among others.