Dr Puran Singh and Brian Ramphal pump $850,000 into 2022 BCB programmes

– Mr & Mrs Hetmyer to sponsor second edition of trust fund

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) under the leadership of Hilbert Foster continues to attract sponsorship as it works assiduously to develop the game in the Ancient County.
In 2018, the current leadership had inherited a meagre forty-three thousand dollars when it took office, but has since raisedin excess of $60M in cash and kind for the unmatched development of Berbice cricket.
Last Monday, two of the BCB’s most faithful sponsors – Dr Puran Singh and Brian Ramphal – both informed that they would be renewing their annual sponsorship for 2022. Dr Singh is the younger brother of Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, one of the major sponsors of Berbice cricket, and he is based in his adopted home of Barbados. He first came on board as a BCB sponsor in 2019, and has invested close to one million dollars of his personal funds into the county’s cricket.
In 2022, he would be sponsoring the BCB National Players Scheme at a cost of $350 thousand dollars. Under the Scheme, the BCB would provide a stipend of ten thousand dollars to every Berbician who makes the national team at the under-15, -17, -19 and female levels.
Foster has expressed gratitude to Dr Singh for his continued support, and has reassured him that the funds would be used for the intended purpose. The stipend, he stated, would serve as a motivation to the players. Cricket West Indies, he said, is planning to resume cricket at the junior level, and the BCB is confident that its players would comprise the majority of the different teams, due to the massive investment in their development.
Dr Singh has said he is very impressed with the work of the board and its visionary leadership. He noted that he is very pleased to be a part of the team that has done so much, and pledged to continue his support in the future.
Brian Ramphal is a very successful overseas-based entrepreneur who invests in the tech industry. He came on board as a BCB sponsor in 2018, after being introduced to Foster by former BCB Secretary Oscar Ramjeet. The USA-based Ramphal has, to date, donated close to Gy$3M to this vibrant cricket board, and would be investing $500 thousand dollars in 2022.
This sponsorship would cover the cost of an under-19 tournament in West Berbice, along with educational grants to players in the same area; the hosting of the 2022 BCB Mother and Father of the Year Awards, along with the overall BCB Awards Ceremony, which is expected to be held in late April.
A very prominent Caribbean sports leader has already agreed to be the main speaker at the Brian Ramphal 2022 BCB Awards Ceremony, which would be held at the St Francis Community Centre in Port Mourant. Foster has hailed Ramphal as one of the main reasons why his presidency has been so successful, and has expressed gratitude to him for his support over the years.
Ramphal has said he is delighted to be associated with the BCB, as it is making a positive difference in the lives of youths.
Meanwhile, West Indies player Shimron Hetmyer and his wife Nirvanie have on Friday reassured the BCB that they would be renewing their sponsorship of the Hetmyers Trust Fund. Last year, the couple sponsored the first edition of the fund at a cost of one million dollars. Over eighty clubs received cricket balls, while ten youths also received educational grants.
The BCB would be providing cricket balls to all the clubs in the county with funds donated by the Hetmyers in 2022.