The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW), known for their great work on and off the field of play, have teamed up with Digicel Guyana to most charitably put a smile on the faces of some young cricketers on the East Coast Demerara.
GAW Captain Shoaib Malik led the interaction on Sunday
As a part of Digicel’s CPL Cricket Series initiative, which gives young, aspiring cricketers a chance to meet and learn from their heroes, and be encouraged and given tips by CPL players and coaches, the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Sunday interacted with 20 youths from the Buxton Cricket Academy.
The lucky bunch had the opportunity to meet and talk with GAW superstars Shimron Hetmyer, Shoaib Malik, Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford, among others from the team; and Paul and Hetmyer took the opportunity to give some encouraging words of advice to the youths.
Hetmyer encouraged them to get involved in sports, since he sees this as a means of staying motivated and not falling by the wayside, while Paul encouraged them to follow their dreams. “Nothing comes easy, you have to be disciplined at all times,” the 21-year-old Paul noted.
He also noted that sports can be the way out of poverty.
Saying that he knows what it’s like to work hard by using sports to change your situation, Paul urged them to “just keep training, work hard and stay focused.”
After the ‘meet-and-greet,’ the youths were allowed to stay and watch Guyana Amazon Warriors take on the Barbados Tridents, compliments of Digicel.
“We are very pleased to be a part of this activity today, simply because providing these young people with an ‘experience’ and the possibility of changing the course of their lives through cricket is what the Digicel Youth CPL Series is all about,” Digicel Communications Officer Vidya Sanichara said.
She added, “We are giving them an opportunity to experience CPL first-hand, and meet and learn from their heroes. This is the essence of cricket: to foster development and growth of tomorrow’s generation. CPL exemplifies this not only in Guyana, but throughout the region, and Digicel cannot be any prouder to be a part of this.”
The youths, ranging in age from 13 to 19 years, are from East Coast Demerara villages stretching from Plaisance to Ann’s Grove. Cordel Martins, a club member, expressed appreciation for the experience. “It was a great experience getting to meet players of such high standards (and) having them tell us things that actually make sense. Cricket is a great outlet (in) getting us off the streets.”
The Buxton Cricket Academy strives to use sports as a means to give youths a chance to focus on something positive. Martins is a product of this initiative, as formerly he was getting himself into trouble on the streets, but is now gainfully employed and has developed a passion for the game.
“This is a great opportunity given to us by Digicel today. We would like to thank them for (us) getting to meet such great players; and hopefully, one day some of us in turn will become players like them and get to meet youths so we can inspire them like they inspired us today,” said the youth coach.
This is the third instalment of the Digicel CPL Youth Series, and it is being conducted in each home country of the 6 CPL franchises: Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, St Lucia and St Kitts.
