ESSEQUIBO cricketers at the various levels will get the opportunity shortly to improve their skills and other technical aspects of their game after the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) courtesy of Allen Stanford’s massive injection of funds, will be putting up a cricket hostel in Anna Regina.

At a simple handing over ceremony yesterday at the GCB Board Room, secretary Bish Panday signed a $30 million dollar contract with Dharam Rajah, who is the contractor, and he assured the board the job will be completed in the next 20 months on time.

The 70×35 building, which is scheduled to commence construction next Monday, will be erected at the northern end and adjacent to the Anna Regina Community Centre ground and will be able to accommodate some 30 persons.

The facility will be used by the cricketers in their preparation to participate in the different levels of the GCB annual Inter-county cricket competitions.

Contractor Rajah, who has played first-division cricket in Essequibo in the late 90s comes from a cricketing background and is the uncle of former national Youth players Rovendra Mandolall and Shivanandan Madholall, said that the inclement weather will not be a deterring factor and he is adamant that the job will finish at the stipulated period.

President of the GCB Chetram Singh, who witnessed the signing stated that cricket has been starved in the county over the years particularly “because of the lack of a facility to house teams.

It was since last October the Essequibians had the opportunity to witness a county match when Essequibo and Berbice clashed in the senior Inter-county El Dorado competition while the last regional match was played in 2005 between Guyana and Windward Islands in a one-day game at the county’s lone first-class venue, Hampton Court ground, approximately two miles from Anna Regina.

GCB who like other territories around the Caribbean are benefitting substantially from the Stanford development projects and this money for the hostel came from the US$200, 000 the Board received when Guyana won the inaugural regional Stanford 20/20 tournament in Antigua, 2006.

Meanwhile, Marcel Gaskin and Associates Limited who is the Structural Engineer and Consultant will visit the venue on regular occasions to ensure the smooth run of the building while penalties will be go out to Rajah if he fails to formalize the task on time.

President of the Essequibo Cricket Board Alvin Johnson thanked the GCB for providing a much-needed facility in the county which will certainly help boost their performances at the Inter-county levels.

Panday also congratulated GCB expressing his appreciation to see such initiative by the board and noted that the move should inspire the Essequibo cricketers to make a good impression whenever participating in the GCB’s annual competitions.

The LBI ground on the East Coast of Demerara will be the other facility to be used by the GCB for construction of another hostel while Albion will also get one shortly. According to Singh, they are still awaiting the approval from Guysuco.