History created as BCB launches youth coaching manual

…Red letter day in Berbice Cricket, says Foster

“We have achieved so much over the last three and a half years. Our hard work has transformed Berbice cricket to its highest level, and I would like to express thanks to all the cricket officials at both the club and board levels for your hard work and dedication. Today would always be remembered as a ‘red letter’ day in the history of our cricket, as we become the only cricket board in the history of Guyana and perhaps the Caribbean to publish its own coaching manual.
“Each one of us in this room should be proud of the hard work we do, but we must always strive to achieve even more, as the future of Berbice cricket is in our hands.”

Those were the words of Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) President Hilbert Foster at a simple launching ceremony of the BCB’s coaching manual at the board’s head office in New Amsterdam.
The launch was deemed historic as it is the first time in the history of Guyana cricket that a county board has published its own coaching manual as part of a developmental programme.
Foster has said that when he was elected in February 2018, he inherited a broken system with no tournament, no finance, no developmental project, and he committed to leading a cricketing revolution to return Berbice cricket to its glory days.

With the BCB unable to host face-to-face coaching because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to publish a coaching manual that would allow youths to work on their game in the comfort of their homes.
A special working committee headed by Julian Moore and Winston Smith was established to work on the manual. Other coaches who worked on the document were Leslie Soloman, Balram Samaroo and Travis Hardcourt. BCB Assistant Secretary Ameer Rahaman served as the editor, along with Foster, while Brandon Corlette provided the photos.
The manual focused on coaching for batting, fast bowling, spin bowling, wicket keeping, ground fielding, catching, running between wickets, and physical fitness among other things. It also includes fielding positions and umpiring signals. Special articles are also in the manual on attributes of a good batsman, mental approach to batting, mental approach to the game, importance of discipline, benefits of physical preparation, and importance of physical fitness.
Sponsorship for the historic manual was provided by long time BCB sponsors Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, Dr Puran Singh and Brian Ramphal.
Julian Moore, who co-edited the manual, stated that he was very proud to be associated with the publication, as it would play a major role in the development of new talent from the county. Moore, Soloman and Smith all hailed the visionary leadership of Foster, who not only came up with the proposal but worked hard to make it a reality.
Soloman noted that the BCB President was very vocal that the legacy of Berbice cricket must be protected at all cost, and that new talents must be discovered to carry on the tradition.
Foster also unveiled several developmental programmes for Berbice cricket, including a coaching video, cricket gears for youths, cricket academies, and an indoor cricket facility which would be constructed with overseas assistance.