St. Theresa’s Primary Triumph in Republic Bank ‘Five for Fun’ National Finals

Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited in collaboration with Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) have successfully completed another year of the Republic Bank ‘Five for Fun’ Programme in Guyana. The national festival finals were hosted at Queen’s College Grounds featuring the primary school county champions from Berice, Demerara and Berbice.
The round-robin format featuring five overs per side saw St. Theresa’s Primary (Berbice Champions), Sparta Primary (Essequibo Champions) and Lenora Primary (Demerara Champions) battled for victory in a safe and player-centred environment designed around the principles of fun, inclusion and equality. These elements resonated even more on finals day as it coincided with the commemoration of Universal Children’s Day. St. Theresa’s Primary emerged as the champion school in Guyana for 2024, playing unbeaten at the national finals.
Participants fostered the values of teamwork, mental focus, tactical awareness and physical development whilst demonstrating high-level cricketing skills in the rudiments of the game: batting, bowling, fielding and wicketkeeping.
Among the attendees at the final event were Republic Bank (Guyana) Ltd Managing Director, Mr. Stephen Grell, Director of Sport Mr. Steve Ninvalle, Education Officer 1 Mr. Saeed Zameen, Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board and CWI Director Mr. Ronald Willams and CWI Project Officer Mr. Brendon Ramlal.
Mr. Stephen Grell, Managing Director Republic Bank (Guyana) Ltd stated: “This tournament has been an extraordinary showcase of youthful energy and sporting potential. From all reports, the fast paced, fun and engaging format of the game have captivated not just the players, but also parents, teachers and coaches.
In the Caribbean and especially in Guyana, cricket is more than just a sport it’s a passion that runs deep in our veins. Republic Bank is proud to support this initiative which goes beyond just simply playing a game. Our goal is to nurture talents, spark interest and develop the necessary skills that could transform these young players into future cricket legends”
The Republic Bank ‘Five for Fun’ Programme is supported through a partnership with both the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in a collaborative effort to further strengthen youth development.
Mr. Steve Ninvalle Director of Sport in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport expressed congratulations to everyone who participated in the competition as they’re no losers since everyone gained some experience from the Five For Fun Tournament. He lauded Republic Bank for their investment in sport and fulfilling their corporate social responsibility and indicated that this is the result when public and private sectors join hands. He also mentioned the government’s focus on enhancing over 400 grounds across the country thereby providing the facilities for such activities. Mr. Ninvalle also commented that he’s enthused that so many females are participating and it’s important for everything we do now to have gender balance.
The Republic Bank ‘Five for Fun’ programme forms part of Republic Bank’s ‘Power to Make a Difference Programme’ and continues to strengthen the base of CWI’s developmental pathway and it’s ‘Future Stars’ programme.”