Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, Brian Ramphal and Dr Pooran Singh renew sponsorship

BCB “Year of Investment”…

– Lloyd Simpson donates photocopier

Overseas-based Guyanese continue to support the work of the Hilbert Foster-led Berbice Cricket Board (BCB).
Three long-term sponsors have renewed their sponsorship for 2021 while a former executive of the proactive Cricket Board has donated a photocopier to assist in the day-to-day operations. Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, his brother Dr Puran Singh and Brian Ramphal are the latest overseas-based Guyanese to join hands with the Board to fulfil its mandate in 2021, which has been named the “Year of Investment”.

Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, a Guyana-born medical doctor living in Texas, USA, has renewed his sponsorship of the BCB countywide coaching programme and also the 2021 Cricket Academy at the combined cost of $1.4 million. The coaching programme would consist of the hosting of eight mini academies across Berbice for a total of 240 youth cricketers with eight special clinics for bowlers, batsmen, wicketkeepers, and spinners. Additionally, the BCB Coaches would also visit 20 cricket clubs in Berbice to conduct sessions with hundreds of youths.
At the end of these sessions, a total of 70 promising players would be selected to be part of the Annual Dr Singh Cricket Academy, which is held during the month of August. Foster, who is spearheading the massive marketing drive for Berbice cricket, stated that the objective is to have a pool of junior cricketers who would represent the county over the next five years at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels.
Barbados-based Dr Puran Singh, for the third successive year, would be sponsoring the BCB National Players Financial Scheme. Under this programme, junior and female players who gain selection to the national teams would receive a financial stipend of $10,000 each. In the event that COVID-19 forces the tournaments to be cancelled, the funds would be used to provide educational materials and cricket gear to less fortunate Under-15 cricketers.
Over the past three years, overseas-based Guyanese Brian Ramphal, who is involved in the technology business, has invested heavily in the development of Berbice cricket. His sponsorship for 2021 includes the hosting of the annual award ceremony, the Father and Mother of the Year programmes, the 20/20 Cricket Tournament, and the ‘gears for youths’ programme as well as information posters.
Foster described the Singh brothers and Ramphal as one of the main reasons Berbice cricket has been so successful since 2018 and hailed them as the county’s unsung heroes. Noting that 2020 was very successful for the BCB despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Foster disclosed that the “Year of Investment” would be the best in the 82-year history of the BCB.
Meanwhile, former BCB Committee Competition and Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) Executive Lloyd Simpson fulfilled his commitment to the Board by handing over a photocopier to the President. The BCB expends vital funds annually on office expenses, and Foster noted that the donation would assist the Board to save funds. Simpson, who lives in the USA, stated that he was delighted by the positive development taking place in the county and felt privileged to contribute.