Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC), MS, has for the 17th year received sponsorship from the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) through that company’s popular international soft drink brand Pepsi.
DDL Marketing Executive Larry Wills hands over the sponsorship to RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster
Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL) have established a longstanding relationship with the RHTY&SC wherein the beverage giants have been sponsoring the RHTY&SC’s Under-19 and Intermediate cricket teams since 2004, and last Friday that relationship was strengthened through the renewal of this sponsorship in a ceremony held at the DDL Head Office located at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
The sponsorship was renewed at the cost of $240,000 for 2020.
Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, MS, Hilbert Foster, recognized this Pepsi/DDL sponsorship as one of the main reasons why the club has been hailed as Guyana’s best club, and for the reputation it has developed in regard to producing positive results on the cricket field.
In 2019, the Pepsi Under-19 team won the BCB Under-19 20/20 title and was runner-up in the 50-over tournament, while the Pepsi Intermediate team won the BCB/Shimron Hetmyer 50-over tournament.
Pepsi became the official sponsor of the Under-19 team after the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company withdrew its sponsorship in 2004.
Under the Pepsi sponsorship, the under-19 team has won six titles, including the first two editions of the BCB/New York Business Group 50 overs’ tournament, while the Intermediate team has won both tournaments organised by the BCB.
Foster noted that the success of the Pepsi team has been the result of sheer hard work, dedication, and the financial support of the Demerara Distillers Ltd and Pepsi.
The support from Pepsi has enabled the teams to fully concentrate on playing the game on the field, having no need to worry about the costs attached.
Over the years, the team produced national junior players like Dominic Rikhi, Shailendra Shameer, Arif Chan, Loyden Lewis, Shawn Pereira, Akshay Homraj, Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall, Jeremy Sandia, Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Kevin Sinclair, Matthew Pottaya, Assad Fudadin, Abdel Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Shemaine Campbelle, Sheneta Grimmond, Shabika Gajnabi and Murphy La Rose, among others.
Campbelle, Crandon, Anderson, Gajnabi, Grimmond and Assad Fudadin all went on to play for the West Indies at different levels.
Over the last 16 years, the Pepsi teams have also hosted hundreds of personal developmental programmes with the main objective of making a positive difference in the lives of youths, elderly and less fortunate persons.
The programmes were hosted under the sub-headings of educational, culture, charity, religion, awards, community, among others.
National junior cricketer Jonathan Rampersaud and Berbice player Chanderpaul Govindhan would serve as vice-captain respectively. The 2020 Intermediate team would be led by Junior Sinclair. Foster expressed gratitude to DDL and Pepsi for their continued investment in the RHTY&SC. He committed the teams to upholding the high standard they have set themselves in the future, and to be perfect ambassadors of the Pepsi brand.
DDL Marketing Executive Larry Wills congratulated the RHTY&SC for being an outstanding representative of the Pepsi brand. DDL, he stated, was proud to be associated with the RHT teams, as they have represented the Pepsi brand well on and off the cricket field.
