Very soon youths and female cricketers will benefit from a sport programme to develop their skills in the game of cricket. This program will be offered due to the kind compliments of the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) in collaboration with the High Commission of Australia.
The programme will be a weekly event and will be done under the watchful eyes of former English international cricketer Monte Lynch. The initiative is a brainchild of the club’s executives who shared their interest with John Pilbeam, Australia High Commissioner to
Australia High Commission’s presentation of the kit bag to GCC. From L-R Phillip Ruddock, Lionel Jaikaran, John Pilbeam, Graeme Ali and Dominic O’sullian
Trinidad and Tobago with responsibilities to Guyana, during the recently concluded Tri-Nation series which featured Australia, South Africa and hosts West Indies.
Although the idea aims to focus on the invention of a GCC women’s team, the club would like to see the resurgence of its youth program which was up there with the best there were in the country.
According to GCC’s Club Captain Graeme Ali, the GCC partnership with the Australian High Commissioner started with the presentation of a portrait to Pilbeam and ended with the club receiving a cricket kit, which would be auctioned to raise funds for the program. “During the tri-nation series here in Guyana, with Australia, South Africa and West Indies, we (GCC executives) presented to Pilbeam a copy of a portrait GCC have in its pavilion. It is a picture of Australia’s first tour to the West Indies in 1955. The High Commissioner took that photo and it is now hanging on the wall in his office in Trinidad. Shortly after David Warner (Australian cricketer) got injured and he left his kit bag along with some other items…Glenn Maxwell (Australian cricketer) donated some stuff as well. He (Warner) left a kit bag full of items, cricket memorabilia which the Australian High Commission on behalf of Warner donated to the club to raise funds for our youth cricket and ladies cricket. The High Commissioner was here with a retired Attorney General from Australia Dominic O’sullian, who is now part of the Commonwealth and was in Guyana for the Caricom Heads of Government Meeting. He is the honorary Consul of Australia to Guyana.
Pilbeam, O’Sullian along with Australia Special Envoy for Human Rights Phillip Ruddock were at GCC for the presentation. The items will be sold at an auction to be announce soon. The items include Warner’s gears, Maxwell’s boots, Australia’s World Cup clothing and some other items”, detailed Ali.
President of GCC Lionel Jaikaran said, “The donation kit bag came along because first time meeting the Australian High Commissioner we spoke about the condition of cricket at GCC and we asked them for any assistance they might have to offer to the development of the game and in a very short time he called and said Warner’s kit bag has been left and he is going to donate it to the club. Cricket Australia has given us permission to auction the items.”
According to Jaikaran, he has also sought government assistance through the Minister of Education whom he spoke too to enhance the program.
GCC has never invested in female cricket before although its facility is utilized by the GCB for ladies’ training, however, the President was urged by West Indies female cricketer Shamaine Campbell to form a team and since GCC is the oldest cricket club in the country (158 years) it should pioneer in ladies hard ball.
In addition, Jaikaran said with funds raised the club will see some rehabilitation to facilitate a comfortable zone for the ladies.
The programme is expected to get underway as soon as fund is realized, but the entity will take the first step with sessions supervised by Lynch.
Interested persons can contact the club on telephone numbers 226-3130 or 226-3404 or uplift registration form at the club on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive.
