A goodwill cricket tour by Trinidad and Tobago’s Valley Boys Sports and Cultural Club has produced support beyond the boundary, with its Over-50 team donating cash to an initiative that has already assisted 107 young Guyanese cricketers.
The donation was presented following Valley Boys’ tour match against North Soesdyke and will help the “Cricket Gear for Young and Promising Cricketers in Guyana” project purchase equipment requested by emerging players.
The joint initiative, managed by Anil Beharry and United States-based Kishan Das, distributes new and used cricket equipment free of cost to promising players, clubs, schools and communities throughout Guyana.
Valley Boys has been in existence for more than 60 years and is described as Trinidad and Tobago’s oldest cricket institution. Its representative, Pramesh Seheult, said the touring party was impressed by the number of young people who have benefited from the Guyanese project.
Seheult said the club was pleased to contribute to the development of young cricketers and support efforts to keep youths away from negative influences by encouraging their involvement in sport, particularly cricket.
Beharry expressed gratitude for the donation and said the money would strengthen the project’s continuing work. All cash received is used to purchase requested equipment that is not available among the items already donated.
The project has directly assisted 107 male and female players from Demerara, Berbice and Essequibo, while many others have benefited indirectly. Some of the cricketers supported by the programme have gone on to represent the West Indies at different levels.
Its direct distributions have included cash, 43 bats, 42 pairs of batting gloves, 38 pairs of cricket shoes, 25 thigh pads, 23 pairs of batting pads, 11 gear bags, six helmets, five boxes, four arm guards, four pairs of wicketkeeping gloves, two trophies, wicketkeeping pads and a bat grip.
Shamar Joseph, Nehemiah Hohenkirk, Shamar Apple, Thaddeus Lovell, Adrian Emmanuel and Makhaya Jones are among the individual beneficiaries.
The initiative has also extended its reach to cricket organisations and communities across the country. Two Pomeroon clubs received used bats, while the Pomeroon, Leguan and Wakenaam cricket committees and Cotton Tree Die Hard each received a box of red balls.
Cold Fusion Cricket Club was given 13 coloured uniforms. Rose Hall Community Centre Cricket Club received six boxes of balls, 15 white cricket shirts, junior batting pads, wicketkeeping gloves and inners, and two sets of stumps and bails.
The Essequibo Cricket Board, Demerara Cricket Board, West Demerara Cricket Association, the town of Lethem, Upper Corentyne teams, Leguan Cricket Committee and youth coach Travis Persaud have also received support.
Among the clubs assisted are Just Try, Wakenaam Cricket Academy, Tucber Park, Malteenoes, Kendall’s Union, Georgetown Cricket Club, Bush Lot United, Blairmont, Port Mourant, Cotton Tree Die Hard and No. 65 Young Titans. Precision Sports and One Movement Entertainment also received cricket items, while the youths of St Cuthbert’s Mission were given a box of balls.
Equipment was further distributed to Lower Corentyne, Corentyne Comprehensive, JC Chandisingh, Tagore Memorial, Berbice High, Skeldon Line Path and New Amsterdam secondary schools.
The overall collection of equipment received or purchased by the project includes 49 bats, 48 pairs of batting gloves, 40 pairs of batting pads, 36 pairs of cricket shoes, 29 thigh pads, 15 gear bags, 13 coloured uniforms, 13 boxes of red balls, 13 bat rubbers, seven helmets, six arm guards, three pairs of wicketkeeping pads, two chest pads, two trophies, two boxes, a set of stumps, a fibreglass bat, a floppy hat, a bat cone and batting inners.
The project also received 16 boxes and four individual white balls, along with 28 footballs. Cash support has reached $843,146, while former national wicketkeeper-batsman Sheik Mohamed contributed equipment valued at more than $600,000.
Players are selected based on their talent, discipline, skills and commitment to education. Talent identification is conducted countrywide, with club leaders helping the organisers find deserving cricketers. Well-managed clubs with active youth programmes are also eligible for assistance.
Anyone interested in supporting the project can contact Beharry on 623-6875 or Das on +1-718-664-0896.
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