BCB/Roy Baijnauth Memorial Inter-Primary School tournament for Upper Corentyne schools: Massiah Primary School emerge champions

– Foster urges cricketers to focus on education

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB)) last Monday successfully completed another cricket tournament as it forges ahead with it 2023 schedule to host cricket at all levels.
The board, despite the weather, was able to host the finals of the BCB/Roy Baijnauth Memorial Tournament for primary schools in the Upper Corentyne area at the Number 48 ground.
Three schools turned up for the semifinals and grand finals, but Number 56 Primary failed to do so. The draw for the day saw Skeldon Primary playing Massiah Primary, and Yakusari Primary of Black Bush Polder drawing the bye to the finals.
In the semifinals, Massiah Primary defeated Skeldon Primary by eight wickets. Batting first, Skeldon were restricted to 35 for 9 off their allotted 12 over, as Adrias Mohamed top scored with 12. Bowling for Massiah Primary, Rayon Reece took 4 wickets for four runs from his two overs.
Massiah Primary, in reply, raced to 36 for two from five overs, as Marvin Chapelle and Rayon Reece both ended on ten runs.
In the final, which was witnessed by a large crowd of parents and supporters of both teams, Massiah, batting first, reached 89 for 5 from their allotted 15 overs.
Captain Marvin Chapelle top scared with an impressive 41, which included three boundaries. He received support from Keshan Narain, who scored 12 runs, and Aryan Singh who scored ten.
Ridwan Elmudeen took two wickets for 13 runs from his three overs for Yakusari Primary. In reply, the Yakusari team reached 45 all out from ten overs, as only Omar Rahubar and Zabir Rosan reached double figures, with 12 and ten respectively.
Bowling for the champions, Rayon Reece took 2 for 12; Marvin Chapelle took 2 for 8, and Zakariyya Khan took 2 for 6 in an impressive bowling effort.
Marvin Chapelle was named Man of the Finals, and received a medal and a special prize. Each of the finalists received a voucher to uplift educational stationery from Office Express in Corriveton, while the BCB, with support from the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, donated exercise books and other items to the schools.
BCB President Hilbert Foster was present for the finals, and expressed gratitude to the Baijnauth family for their sponsorship of the tournament in memory of the late Roy Baijnauth, a former Mayor of Corriverton.
Baijnauth had also served as President of the Berbice Cricket Board for two terms, before he was succeeded by Malcom Peters. Foster hailed the late BCB President as a faithful servant of Berbice cricket, and a role model to many. The BCB President in a direct appeal to the primary school students, urged them to make an educational background the number one objective in their lives. Education, he told the attentive students, is the most important asset they can get, and he pleaded with them to focus on their studies.
“Not everyone would go on to be a successful cricketer, and, as such, it was important to do well in school,” Foster said.
Foster also pledged that the BCB under his leadership would continue to invest heavily in youth development, especially at the school level. Massiah Primary would now advance to the overall Berbice Finals, where they would play the winners of the West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje and Lower Corentyne zones. Latchmansingh Primary School of West Berbice has also advanced.