RHTY&SC surpasses target of 715 activities in most successful year in its history

– construction of homes, Sinclair debut highlights of 2021

Since its formation in 1990, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) has always prided itself in not only being one of Guyana leading cricket clubs, but also one making a positive difference in the lives of others.
The club, which is the only youth and sports organisation to ever receive a national award, is celebrating another successful year after successfully completing 746 activities in 2021, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and lack of activities on the cricket field.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, in an end-of-year report, stated that management of the club was able to stay focused by expanding the club’s Say Yes/Say No campaign, which encourages youths to say yes to education, sports, life, culture, religion; and No to drugs, crime, suicide, pre-marital sex and alcohol.
The highlight of 2021 was the spearheading of the construction of three homes for three families. It was the first time that the club was involved in the construction of homes for families. Among the persons who benefited were the club’s Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu, and 64-year-old Chunilall Sonaroo.

The international debut of Kevin Sinclair was another highlight for the club, as he became the 11th RHTY&SC member to play at the international level, while Dominic Rikhi, a product of the club, later in the year played for the USA.
Shemaine Campbelle, Sheneta Grimmond and Shabika Gajnabi represented the region at the international level, while the promising Jonathan Rampersaud was invited to the CWI Training Camp for the under-19 players.
Kevlon Anderson also earned a central contract with the Guyana Cricket Board. With only one GCB inter-county tournament been played in 2020, three club members – Rampersaud, Chanderpaul Govindan and Tyreese Sealey – represented Berbice. All three of these female cricketers received contracts with Cricket West Indies.
On the cricket field, the club won the Elizabeth Styles Under 21, Let’s Bet County wide 20/20, Rose Hall Town 51st Anniversary Cup, and Nand Persaud females 20/20 tournaments, and has, to date, reached the semifinals of the Tenelec Under-15 and NBS Second Division tournaments.
The outstanding members of the club have been recognised and honoured during the hosting of the 31st Annual Awards Ceremony.
Kevin Sinclair and Anderson won the top awards, while Minister of Sports Charles Ramson Jnr was inducted as the club’s sixth Honorary Patron. The RHTY&SC, in 2021, assisted their fellow cricket clubs with over two million dollars’ worth of cricket balls, cricket gears, scorebooks, educational materials, trophies, and medals, among other items; while hundreds of youths also benefited from donations of school bags and bicycles in an effort to assist them in their educational career.
Several public institutions benefited from the hard work of the club, with special emphasis being placed on the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost, Port Mourant Public Hospital, and the Rose Hall Town Mayor and Town Council.
The club sponsored the 51st Anniversary celebration of the township, which included at least twelve activities, and made numerous donations during the year, including a small financial bonus for staff.
The Basil Butcher Trust Fund assisted youths across the country as far as Linden and Essequibo, Georgetown and the East Coast of Demerara with cycles and educational materials, while over twenty senior citizens received medical assistance in form of doctor’s fees. The club also assisted over thirty persons with funds to improve their lives, including the construction of a septic tank for an elderly male.
As part of its Say No to Crime programme, the cricket teams installed over forty solar lights in the township and surrounding villages, but sadly, at least a dozen of them were stolen by unknown persons.
Among the numerous other projects/programmes hosted by the vibrant club during the year were Jessica Sandian Mother’s Day Hampers, DTV-8 Mother of the Year, Walter Nero Father’s Day Hampers, David Rambarran Father of the Year, Denise Leow Trust Fund, Tribute to Law Enforcement, Tribute to Medical Workers, Tribute to Postal Workers, Tribute to Municipality Workers, Ansa Mcal Award of Excellence Outstanding CSEC Students awards, Grade Six Awards, Dave Imports Region Six Awards, Tribute to Nursery School Teachers, Tribute to Secondary School Teachers, Dolphin Award of Excellence, Zenith Award of Excellence, Tribute to Heroes, Terry Holder Tribute Award, Ananda E.T Dharry Trust Fund, Evening of Music, Feeding programmes, medical clinics, television programmes, youth information booklet, annual youth magazine, COVID-19 posters, COVID-19 stickers, Tribute to Umpires, Players Welfare Fund, and Assistance to fire victims.
The club also organised a surprise celebration for its Secretary/CEO, who became the first Cricket West indies Director from the Ancient County. During the year, the cricket teams were involved in the distribution of over $9M worth of food hampers, including a $3M flood relief. $3.5M Christmas Hampers, and and $2M COVID-19 hampers programme.
The club also shared out $1.5m worth of items to its members under a Members Welfare Programme. Items distributed included cycles, clothing, educational materials, school bags, footwear, medical supplies and household utilities.
The RHTY&SC closed off the year by hosting a multi-million-dollar charity project which included the distribution of 1000 food hampers, 7000 toys, 1000 breakfast, feeding of the poor, Christmas Concert, one thousand special packages, close to seven hundred thousand dollars’ worth of educational materials, and twenty cycles.
The teams also hosted the seventh edition of the annual Christmas Village in the compound of the Rose Hall Town Primary School. The village was attended by thousands of eager kids and their parents during the period 22nd to 24th of December.
Foster disclosed that two projects were special to the management of the club during the year, and they were the repair of the home of a 96-year-old rape victim and honouring eighty-one-year-old Jaikissoon Sookdeo of Tain for decades of community service. The club also employed a full-time coach in Delbert Hicks to coach its membership of hundreds of youth players at all levels.
Dozens of outstanding Guyanese were also honoured by the club and the teams during the year, including Ministers Susan Rodrigues, Charles Ramson and Collin Croal. Others included Esuan Crandon, Leila Ramson and Anasha Ally.
The RHTY&SC would like to express thanks to all of its numerous sponsors, donors and volunteers. Special thanks are also extended to the Berbice Cricket Board, Rose Hall Town Council, Government of Guyana, members of the media, and the National Task Force. The contribution of the club’s official cricket sponsors- Poonai Drugs Store, Farfan and Mendes Ltd, Bakewell, Pepsi, Metro Office Supplies, Vitality Inc, and Namilco Thunderbolt Flour, were also acknowledged by the management of the club. The club has set itself a target of seven hundred and thirty activities for 2022.