Hetmyer, Giddings, BCB cop major awards

Cricket in the Ancient County of Berbice is currently on the move owing to the outstanding work of the Hilbert Foster-led Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and as such, it was no surprise that personnel from the game dominated the awards at the sixth Annual Gregory Gaskin Memorial Berbice Sports Award Ceremony.

West Indies players Shimron Hetmyer and Erva Giddings easily copped the Berbice Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Award while the vibrant BCB was named Sports Association by the panel of judges. The Gregory Gaskin Memorial Berbice Sports Awards was organised by the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) with sponsorship from Sentinel Security Ltd.
Club Secretary/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Foster stated the Awards started in 2014 as a tribute to the memory of the late Gregory Gaskin, former CEO of Cops Security Ltd. Gaskin was a strong believer in the use of sports as a safe avenue to keep youths off the streets. His sudden death following an accident involving his motorcycle left his family devastated. The main objectives of the Gregory Gaskin Memorial Berbice Sports Awards are to honour outstanding sports personnel in Berbice, to provide positive role models for youths to emulate, to promote the importance of sports and to preserve the memory of the late Gregory Gaskin.
Members of the general public were invited to submit nominations for the period January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. The eventual awardees were selected by a panel of judges headed by News Editor of the DTV-8, Gregory Rambarran.
Hetmyer was chosen based on his outstanding performances for Guyana and the West Indies along with the Guyana Amazon Warriors team. Giddings easily copped the Sportswoman-of-the-Year Award, based on her outstanding performances for Berbice and Guyana with her left-arm swing bowling and useful batting. The choice of the BCB as the Sports Organisation for the year was a unanimous decision as its record of achievement was unmatched across Guyana. The BCB in 2018 raised over $10 million to organise over 30 cricket tournaments and dozens of developmental programmes as well as assist its members with millions of dollars’ worth of items.
Berbice Volleyball Association President Levi Nedd won the Sports Personality-of-the-Year Award. Nedd has been an inspiration for the continued development of the game in the Ancient County. Additionally, he served as Coach of the Port Mourant Training Centre volleyball team and the Guyana volleyball team. Longtime Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) groundsman Roger Mc Donald was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his long and dedicated service to the development of sports.
Mc Donald is highly respected for not only his dedication to his job at the historic Albion Ground but also his words of advice to youths involved in sports.
Meanwhile, Foster hailed the continued sponsorship of Sentinel Security and its CEO, Noreen Gaskin as a true friend of the RHTY&SC.
Sentinel Operations Manager Cedric Brown stated that the company was delighted to sponsor the Awards in memory of the late Gregory Gaskin. He urged the five awardees to uphold their high standards and praised the work of the RHTY&SC, which he described as remarkable. He committed the company to continuing its sponsorship in the future.
Each of the awardees received a framed Certificate of Excellence, a trophy, medal and special gift. Hetmyer was unable to attend the ceremony due to West Indies duties while Nedd had work commitments. Hetmyer’s mother collected his Award, and Nedd was represented by his son.