RHTY&SC receives $100,000 worth of cricket balls as donation from former secretary Raymond Haniff

…distributes hundreds of kites to kids

Former secretary of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, Raymond Haniff, last Sunday handed over $100,000 worth of cricket balls to the cricket team. Haniff, who also represented the RHTY&SC at the second and first division levels in its early days, also committed to contributing one hundred tennis balls toward the club’s coaching programme for its U11 and U13 teams.
Now the Managing Director of Diversity Investment Inc, a company based at Lot 36 Happy Acres, ECD, Haniff has said he would always be grateful to the RHTY&SC for the role it played in his life. Haniff was a member of the club’s second-division team that won the Sydney Sabsook Memorial tournament in 1992, and the JC Budhu second-division Cup in 1994 and 1995. He also played numerous times for the club at the first-division level.
Haniff’s best bowling effort as a medium pacer was 5 for 27 versus Bloomfield. He served as secretary of the club for several years before being replaced by Hilbert Foster.
Foster expressed thanks to Haniff and his company for their assistance, and said the balls would be of great assistance to the large membership of the club.
The RHTY&SC has teams at the Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, Under-21, Under-23, second-division, female, and first-division levels. Since its formation in September 1990 by three-time Commonwealth Service Awardee St. Francis Xavier Youth Club, the RHTY&SC has won a total of 122 cricket tournaments at all levels, including three national titles. The club has also produced an impressive list of 121 players who have either played for Berbice and Guyana. Additionally, a total of twelve RHTY&SC members have played for the West Indies and the United States, including Asad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Kevin Sinclair, Shemaine Campbell, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Erva Giddings, Dominic Ricky and Askay Homraj.
Foster also noted that the club has produced players like Esan Crandon, Delbert Hicks, Junior Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Jonathan Rampersaud, Matthew Pottaya, Shawn Grant, Plaffiana Millington and Kemraj Mahadeo.
For 2024, the RHTY&SC has produced eight national players at the senior level, female, under-15 level, and has won titles at the U11, U13, U23 and first division levels.
Organizing Secretary Robby Kissoonlall, who is also the cricket manager of the club, has expressed gratitude to Haniff and Diversity Investment Inc for their assistance. Kissoonlall has said the membership of the club keeps expanding on a daily basis, and noted that the developmental program of coaches Winston Smith and Ryan Kissoonlall would benefit most.
Over the last week, the cricket teams of the club have distributed more than 1000 kites to children across Berbice as part of their personal development program for Easter. The teams: Poonai Under-11 and Under-13, Farfan and Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and second division, Pepsi Under-19 and Under-23, Metro females and Namilco Thunderbolt Under-21 and first division, have been able to get kites via sponsorship from friends of the club, and distributed them via the club’s network of friends, including Port Mourant Hospital Therapy Unit, Whim Cricket Club, St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church, Maranatha Faith Ministries and the Sharon Congregational Chapel.