GCB/Dave West Indian Imports programme: Ten Berbice junior cricketers benefit from educational grants

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) recently hosted a presentation ceremony in which grants were presented to 10 youth cricketers at the St Francis Center in Rose Hall Town under the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Dave West Indian Imports Educational Trust Fund.
“Since 2018, the BCB has placed special emphasis on the importance of education, as we are fully aware that it is the key to success. We are therefore delighted that our parent body, the GCB, has joined hands with us in the quest to get youths to understand the importance of an educational background,” BCB President Hilbert Foster has said.
The 10 cricketers who received the grants worth twenty thousand dollars each were drawn from across the county, and were selected by the management of the different teams. The players who benefited were Navin Boodwah, Vivik Singh, Ramzan Koobeer, Devindra Samaroo, Dhanesh Prabudial, Adrian Hetmyer, Michael Cort, Geovanni Amsterdam, Joel Lall and Isaih Seeouni.
The players were from member clubs of the BCB – Ebinburgh, Blairmont, Achievers, Albion, Mt Sinai, Rose Hall Canje, Kildonan, Port Mourant, Upper Corentyne and Whim. Foster, who is also Vice President of the GCB, disclosed that 10 cricketers would benefit in Essequibo and Demerara each under the trust fund, which is being sponsored by New York-based businessman Dave Narine.

In the presence of Government Ministers Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues, Foster reminded the attentive youths of the importance of staying in school and completing their educational careers. He stated that, in his mind, education is more important that sports, as less than one percent of the current youth players would go on to become professional cricketers. What you learn in school, he stated, can never be taken from you, and would shape the course of your life in the future.
Foster, who has led a massive pro-education campaign in Region Six, disclosed that hundreds of youths have received educational grants from the BCB as part of a comprehensive developmental plan. Another twenty would get twenty thousand dollars next month under the BCB Patron Fund.
The BCB President expressed thanks to the GCB and Dave Narine for the investment. Narine, he noted, is a true friend of Berbice and Guyana cricket, and Foster has wished him the best in the future.
Minister Rodrigues, who handed over the grants to the cricketers, congratulated both cricket boards for investing in the education of players. She said that with education, impossible dreams can become reality. She urged the cricketers to always strive for excellence, and to become the best of the best.
Minister Croal joined his colleague in congratulating the GCB and BCB for their wisdom in investing in the educational sector. Each of the awardees received a twenty-thousand-dollar gift voucher, which would be submitted to the New Amsterdam branch of Metro Stationery and Computers Store for educational materials they would need to enable them to attend classes.