RBL Summer Camp & Bakewell/Busta 2022 Cricket Academy: RHTY&SC activities off to resounding start

More than 200 youths turned up on Monday when the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) commenced its annual Republic Bank Summer Camp and the Bakewell/Busta Cricket Academy at the Rose Hall Town Primary School and the Area H Ground respectively.

These events are held annually by this vibrant club under its “Say Yes to Education and Sports” programme, and are organised by the cricket teams of the RHTY&SC, which are as follows: Poonai Pharmacy Under-13, Farfan and Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Females, Vitality Under-23, Namilco Thunderbolt Under-21 and First Division.
Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster, has expressed delight at the attendance at both events, which has surpassed expectations. One of the most exciting aspects of the opening day has been the presence of 30 under-19 females who have all expressed a desire to become members of the only full-time female club team in Guyana.
Foster, in brief remarks at the opening ceremony, urged the attentive youths to develop a culture of hard work, personal discipline, commitment, and a desire to learn more about the game.
The longstanding club official, who is also President of the proactive Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), has said the RHTY&SC strongly believes that education and sports go hand in hand, and he has called on the youths to make sure they pay close attention to both. The RHTY&SC, he said, would provide all the necessary support they need in terms of guidance, gear and educational materials.
Head Coach Winston Smith, who is working primarily with the young females, disclosed that special emphasis would be placed on getting them to understand the basics of batting and bowling. Smith, who is being assisted by a battery of assistants, has said that emphasis would also be placed on classroom work, wherein players would know the history of the game and topics of importance to their personal development. Among the topics to be covered are suicide, danger of drugs, domestic violence, peer pressure, and personal hygiene.
The senior members of the club are also playing a major role in these activities, with West Indies players Kevin Sinclair, Sheneta Grimmond and Shabika Gajnabi turning up to pass on their knowledge to the players and providing them with inspirational talks. Recent Amazon Warriors recruit Junior Sinclair also turned up at the camp and worked with more than 25 under-12 players as part of his personal developmental programme with the club.
Some other senior players of the Namilco Thunderbolt Flour First Division team would also be present during the academy.
The 2022 Republic Bank Summer Camp also started off with a total of 94 students, way above the targeted 50. The cricket teams were forced to make alternative arrangements to set up two classes. The students would be taught four subjects – Math, English, Social Studies and Science.
Attractive prizes would also be won at the end of the two events, including bicycles, tablets, cricket gear, uniforms, food hampers, and household and kitchen utensils, among other things.