RHTY&SC Namilco Thunderbolt Flour, Vitality Inc Cricket Teams donate $100,000 in cycles to Basil Butcher Memorial Trust Fund
The Christmas Charity Programme of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation continued on Friday with a presentation of $100,000 worth of bicycles to six players of the club at the Area H Ground. The presentation was done under the Basil Butcher Memorial Trust Fund and was sponsored by the Atlantis Cricket Club of New York, United States.
The players were specially selected by the cricket management committee of the club, headed by Cricket Manager Ravindranauth Kissoonlall.
Club Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hilbert Foster at the presentation ceremony stated that the RHTY&SC, over the years, has assisted hundreds of youths across the country with cycles while a total of 117 members have also benefited. The main objective is to make sure that youths can attend school and cricket practice. He noted that the majority of the youths who have received the cycles are from single- parent households and as such, their parent struggles to assist them with transportation costs. The six youths, he disclosed, were selected based on discipline, attitude, commitment and potential for the future. He told the attentive youths that it was a privilege to be a RHTY&SC member as the club was determined to make sure that they succeed in life – on and off the cricket field. He spoke at length on the importance of discipline, hard work and staying in school to obtain an education. The RHTY&SC, MS, he noted, is very passionate about making sure that each of its players understands the importance of education and never give up.
Foster, who is also the President of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and a Director of Cricket West Indies (CWI), advised the youths to say yes to sports, education, religion, culture, life and no to suicide, drugs, crime, alcohol and the evil ways of Satan.
RHTY&SC Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu expressed thanks to the Atlantis Cricket Club of New York for its support, with special mention been made of its President, Colin Sandy. He noted that it was the second successive year that the New York-based club was supporting the Butcher Fund and expressed confidence that the relationship would continue in the future.
The Basil Butcher Trust Fund was established in 2020 after the death of the legendary player by the club and his family to assist youths and less fortunate families. Butcher played 44 Test matches for the West indies, scoring 3104 runs at an average of 43.11 with seven centuries and 16 half-centuries.
The Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt Flour team are sponsored by the National Milling Company of Guyana of Agricola while the Vitality Under-23 team are sponsored by Vitality Inc of Providence. Among the players in the teams are Kevin Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Shemaine Campbelle, Keith Simpson, Shawn Perriera, Jonathan Rampersaud, and Chanderpaul Govindan.