Guyana’s Haynes elected CONCENCABA President

General Secretary of the Guyana Basketball Federation (GBF), Patrick Haynes, has been elected President of the Central American and Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CONCENCABA).

Haynes ran against former Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) President Glyne Clarke of Barbados for the position at the CONCENCABA Assembly and Elections on February 14 in Miami, USA.

As the Republic Bank’s “Five for Fun” cricket programme rolls closer to the County and Country Festival Finals, scheduled for early March 2023, seventy-five primary schools from across the three counties are continuing their cricket training in order to get their teams ready to defeat their opponents in the “Five for Fun” zonal preliminary round of matches.

The zonal preliminary matches will be played between February 13 and 24, with five schools in each zone competing to emerge as zonal champions in order to secure a spot in the Republic Bank’s “Five for Fun” county finals.

Participating primary schools have been grouped into 15 zones, which include Upper Corentyne, Lower Corentyne, West Berbice, New Amsterdam, Canje, Upper Demerara, East Bank Demerara, Georgetown, East Coast Demerara, West Demerara, Leguan, Wakenaam Island, South Essequibo Coast, East Bank Essequibo, South Essequibo Coast, and North Essequibo Coast.

Republic Bank’s “Five for Fun” cricket is part of the CWI Future Stars

Programme to introduce cricket to primary schoolaged children. This new five-a-side format drives participation, activity and inclusivity with mixed teams of boys and girls.

As the representative of Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Reon King, former Guyana and West Indies player, is the programme coordinator. He has revealed that: “Over 1,000 primary school boys and girls have already been exposed to “Five for Fun” cricket training, providing them with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the game.

He explained that from a cricket perspective, both CWI and GCB are excited about giving our children the opportunity to play and learn the game in fun, safe environments. From all feedback from coaches, teachers and some parents, the children are excited about the programme, and can’t wait to showcase their skills during the first stage of matches at the zonal preliminaries.

King added: “This programme is critical to the foundation of the cricket development pathway, especially as we restart cricket post COVID-19, both recreationally and competitively in primary and secondary schools across Guyana. Since its launch in June 2022 to this point, the programme has offered over 30 existing cricket coaches the opportunity to complete refresher coaching courses, and has exposed school teachers to foundation level coach education training.

“We are extremely grateful for Republic Bank’s partnership on this initiative. With the support of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sports to make this important initiative a reality,” King has said.

Dr. Ritesh Tularam, Deputy Chief Education Officer, in commenting said, “The Ministry of Education is pleased to be a partner with Cricket West Indies, Republic Bank Limited, and the Guyana Cricket Board on this timely cricket initiative at the primary schools’ level, which intersects and complements the Education Sector’s Plan for 20212025; Vision 2030. This initiative supports the plan’s core objective to ensure the well-rounded development of students through formal and informal education platforms such as sports.”

He has become the first Guyanese to head CONCENCABA, and will also serve as the FIBA Americas’ First Vice President.

Modesto Robeldo of Mexico, President of the Confederación Centroamericana de Baloncesto (COCABA), will serve as Haynes’s first Vice President, while Interim President of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC), Leslie Collymore (St

The CBC At Large Members are Claire Mitchell (Trinidad and Tobago) and Kenneth Vrojijk (Aruba); the COCABA At Large Members are Jair Peralta (Panama) and Frank Martinez Arias (Costa Rica).

Lucia), is the Second Vice President.

Sabrina Mitchell (St Vincent and the Grenadines) is the CONCENCABA Secretary.

The GBF was represented by Vice President Rawle Toney and Technical Director Sileena Arjune at the important CONCENCABA event at the Novotel Hotel in Miami. Founded in 1926, CONCENCABA is a body of FIBA Americas with mirrored powers and responsibilities for its geographic region, but recognizes the superior authority of FIBA and FIBA Americas. Subject to the overriding authority of FIBA and FIBA Americas, CONCENCABA is the only competent authority to promote the practice of basketball, and to organize competitions within the Sub-Zone of Central America and the Caribbean.

Currently, the National Member Federations assigned to CONCENCABA by the FIBA Central Board are: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Virgin Islands.