BCB investing heavily in cricket in riverine communities

– Foster pledges more assistance in the future

Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) President Hilbert Foster last weekend reassured cricket teams in Berbice riverine communities that the BCB would continue to invest in the area and make sure that they benefit from the massive development taking place in the county.
Foster, who resumed duty as BCB president only a few weeks ago, after a profound illness, has said the riverine area is very important to the overall development of Berbice Cricket, and no stone would be left unturned in the quest for overall development.
The BCB last week hosted two major cricket finals between teams from the area, between Wiruni Cricket Club and the SandHills Friends team, at the Area H Ground in Rose Hall Town. The two finals were for the Dave West Indian 40 overs and the Sir James France 20/20 tournament.

Both finals attracted large crowds, with residents of the area travelling out to the coastland in their numbers to support their respective home teams. Foster met with the leadership of both teams and expressed delight at the huge support that cricket has in the area.
Among the areas the BCB President committed to assisting are hosting of training programs for youth players, and umpires and scorers in the area. The BCB President handed over a set of the BCB historic coaching manuals and youth information booklets to the two teams for them to work with their youths. In the meanwhile, arrangement would be put into place for a BCB coaching team to visit the area during the summer holidays.
The BCB also handed a large quantity of cricket gear to the clubs, along with scorebooks, as the effort continues to assist as much as possible.
The Berbice River Cricket Association also received two boxes of white balls to assist in the preparation of a first division team for the upcoming BCB/Speaker’s Cup 20/20 tournament. It would be the first time that the riverine area would participate at that level in the 84-year history of the Berbice Board, and Foster urged the three teams in the area to work together to select the best possible team for the knockout tournament.
The BCB has already donated a full set of coloured clothing for the teams, and clubs in the area would shortly receive red balls to play in future tournaments at the second division level. A practice net was also handed over to the Wiruni Cricket Club to assist them to organise better sessions for their members, while the Sand Hills team received a set of white uniforms for members who do not have any.
Foster also committed to hosting the area in inter-zone levels at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels once a team is selected to play. A commitment was also made for the area to obtain a bowling machine by the last quarter of this year.
Representatives of the clubs expressed thanks to the proactive BCB executives for their interest in the area, and committed to communicate more with the parent body despite the distance.