IOM on board with Region 1’s One Guyana Schools’ Tapeball tournament

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has renewed its sponsorship with Sebai Primary School’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA), which is coordinating its second annual Schools’ Under-13 Male T10 Tapeball Cricket Competition, set to run from November 1-15, 2024.
Regarding this year’s expansion of the tournament, Coordinator and PTA Chairman Sherlon Rodrigues shared, “This year the competition has been extended to the entire Region One schools and has received the blessings of Hon. Collin Croal, MP, Minister of Housing and Water; REDO Cliva Joseph and the entire Education Department; Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley; Culture, Youth and Sport officers and Essequibo Cricket Board President Deleep Singh.”
According to the organiser, the objectives of the competition include: developing cricket across the region and keeping youths meaningfully occupied; moulding the minds of young enthusiastic sportsmen and women and assisting in providing the participating schools with sports equipment that will enable them to correctly manage their physical activities.

This year, 26 schools will participate from the three sub-regions namely:
Matarkai sub-region: Port Kaituma Secondary, Port Kaituma Primary, Arakaka Primary, Canal Bank Primary, Sebai Primary, Baramita Primary, Falls Top Primary, and Matthews Ridge Primary.
Mabaruma sub-region: Hobodeia Primary, Hosororo Primary, Hotoquai Primary, Barabina Primary, White Water Primary, St Peter and Paul Primary, Mabaruma Primary, and Yarakita Primary.
Moruca sub-region: Karaburi Primary, Warapoka Primary, Santa Rosa Secondary, Waramuri Primary, Kamwatta Primary, Haimaracabra Primary, Santa Rosa Primary, Kwebanna Primary, Santa Cruz Primary, and St Nicholas Primary.
“It’s mandatory for schools who have migrants on roll to include the maximum of two on their team,” Rodrigues informed.
Each sub-region will commence their knockout competition on November 1 at the following venues: Kamwatta Recreational Ground, Moruca; Settlement Ground, Mabaruma and Fitzburg Recreational Ground, Matarkai.

The top three sub-regional teams will meet at Fitzburg Recreational Ground on November 15 to compete for the champion trophy and cash prizes of $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively.
Rodrigues further added, “Our greatest satisfaction will be realised when all our efforts and investment become instrumental in producing national and international cricketers. This competition will give our youths an opportunity to harness their cricketing skills and hopefully they can go on from strength to strength.”
The PTA has also extended gratitude to IOM for the following received for the competition: 10 fibreglass bats, 45 medals, first-place trophy, second-place trophy, third-place trophy, most runs trophy, most wickets trophy and 7 man-of-the-match trophies.
Chandradat Kooldeep, Superintendent of Police based in the Region, has also rendered assistance to the upcoming tapeball tournament.
Kooldeep has sponsored the third-place cash prize of $100,000, trophies, balls and insulation tape for the competition.
Essequibo Cricket Board President and Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Vice President Deleep Singh said he was extremely pleased to see the enthusiasm and excitement generated in the schools in Region One to play tapeball cricket, which is considered an introduction into playing hardball cricket. He wished all schools participating the very best and thanked the organisers for their tremendous efforts to ensure cricket is being played in Region One. He also extended gratitude to the President and members of the Barima-Waini Cricket Committee for their input.