Jones is latest to benefit from “Project Cricket Gear”

Fourteen-year-old Makhaya Jones was the recipient of one pair of batting gloves from the “Cricket gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana” project, a joint initiative between Anil Beharry and Kishan Das.
Jones recently participated in the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) Inter-Association Under-16 cricket competition. The Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) fast-bowling all-rounder is a student of Campbellville Secondary School. Young Jones was high in praise for the support and promised to balance his cricket and academic life.
Over the years, many Guyanese cricketers have benefited from the project, some of whom went on to represent West Indies at different levels.
According to the facilitators, this project will continue to improve the lives of youths in every community. “We are pleased to be part of the development of young cricketers in Guyana. Our aim is to keep them off the streets and get them actively involved in sports, cricket in particular.”
Total cricket-related items received/purchased so far: $786,146 in cash, thirteen coloured cricket uniforms, one set of stumps, two trophies, thirty-six pairs of cricket shoes, forty pairs of batting pads, forty-nine cricket bats, forty-eight pairs of batting gloves, twenty-nine thigh pads, three pairs of wicket-keeping pads, six arm guards, two chest pads, two boxes, fifteen gear bags, thirteen bat rubbers, seven helmets, one fibreglass bat, one floppy hat, sixteen boxes and four of white cricket balls, thirteen boxes of red cricket balls, one bat cone, one pair of batting inners and twenty-eight footballs. In addition to the above, gear valued over $600,000 was donated by Sheik Mohamed, a former national wicketkeeper-batsman. All cash collected is being used to purchase cricket gear requested and not available at the time.
To date, one hundred and five players, male and female, from all three counties of Guyana have benefited directly from cash, ten gear bags, two trophies, four arm guards, forty-two bats, four boxes, six helmets, thirty-eight pairs of cricket shoes, twenty-two pairs of batting pads, twenty-five thigh pads, one bat grip, forty-two pairs of batting gloves, one pair of wicketkeeping pads and four pairs of wicketkeeping gloves. Many others benefited indirectly. In addition, two clubs in the Pomeroon area benefited from two used bats. Pomeroon, Leguan and Wakenaam Cricket Committees and Cotton Tree Die Hard also received one box of red cricket balls each; Cold Fusion Cricket Club got thirteen coloured uniforms while RHCCCC received six boxes of balls, fifteen white cricket shirts, one pair of junior batting pads, one pair of wicketkeeping gloves with inners, and two sets of stumps and bails. Other beneficiaries are the Essequibo Cricket Board, the town of Lethem, youth coach Travis Persaud (one box of red cricket balls); male and female teams playing the traditional hardball and softball in the Upper Corentyne area; No 65 Young Titans 30 T-Shirts; youths of Just Try Cricket Club; Wakenaam Cricket Academy (one box of white balls); Shamar Joseph, Nehemiah Hohenkirk, Shamar Apple, Leguan Cricket Committee, Tucber Park Cricket Club, Malteenoes Sports Club (nine cricket balls each); Kendall’s Union cricket club twelve red balls; Lower Corentyne, Corentyne Comprehensive and JC Chandisingh Secondary Schools twelve red balls each; Thaddeus Lovell one pair of cricket shoes; GCC two boxes of white cricket balls; Bush Lot United Sports Club one box of red balls; West Demerara Cricket Association one box of white balls; Blairmont Cricket Club one pair of batting pads, one cricket bat, one helmet and balls; Tagore Memorial Secondary School, St Cuthbert’s Mission cricket team one box of balls; Port Mourant CC three boxes of cricket balls, white cricket uniforms and one bat stick; DCB one bat; Precision Sports one box of balls; and Berbice High School, Cotton Tree Die Hard CC youth section, Adrian Emmanuel, one cricket bat.
As a part of the initiative, cricket-related items, used or new, are distributed free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana. Skills, discipline and education are important characteristics of the recipients.