BCB hosts successful Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh mini cricket academy for youths in New Amsterdam/Canje

A total of 50 youth cricketers drawn from 7 clubs in the New Amsterdam/Canje area participated last Sunday in a one-day mini cricket academy held at the ground in East Canje as the vibrant Berbice Cricket Board pushes ahead with its countywide coaching programme.

This was the first of four mini academies to be held during the month of November, and approximately 200 under-19 players are expected to benefit from these extensive coaching sessions.
This one-day session was conducted by a panel of coaches headed by level-three coach Winston Smith. Other coaches present were Leslie Soloman, Balram Samaroo and Gregory Crandon. The administrative aspect of the academy was taken care by BCB executives Ameer Rahaman, Neil Rudder and Egbert Lyken Edwards.
BCB President Hilbert Foster was also present for a part of the day, and congratulated the coaches on a job well done. Foster shared that the academy marks the start of the county’s preparation for the Guyana Cricket Board’s inter-county junior tournaments. Berbice, he stated, aims to win all the titles and produce the majority of players on the national teams.
Mini academies would be held over the next three Sundays in West Berbice, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne respectively, with 50 youths in attendance at each. The same set of youths would, on the Saturday before, be involved in a one-day special social skills seminar to improve them socially and to prepare them to represent the county as ambassadors.
Head Coach Winston Smith disclosed that the coaches placed special emphasis on physical fitness, ground fielding, wicket-keeping, spinning the ball, run-ups for fast bowlers, running between the wickets, and hitting the ball along the ground.
Since election of the Foster-led executive, the BCB has invested heavily in coaching and the educational aspects of their players. Hundreds of youths have directly benefited from the countywide Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh Coaching Programme and the hosting of academies.
The GCB last month donated 10 coaching kits to the BCB, and they are been used at these sessions.
BCB Public Relations Officer Simon Naidu has expressed confidence that all the sessions over the next three weeks would be successful and well attended.
He said a lot of hard work is being done behind the scenes to ensure that all of the BCB’s objectives are achieved, and he hailed the hard work and cooperation that exists among the executives of the board and its coaching staff. The two- day activities in each sub- association are being sponsored by BCB Patron Vickram Bharrat and overseas- based Guyanese medical doctor Tulsi Dyal Singh.
All the sessions, Naidu stated, would be played under very strict COVID-19 guidelines, and any player who fails to follow the rules would be subjected to disciplinary actions by the board.