Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) will meet with key stakeholders today to discuss the Franchise System being implemented by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) later this year.

In a press release issued on Monday, the GCB indicated that Guyana Cricket Inc. is extending an invitation to all Inter-county players, match officials, first division clubs, county board executives, media and other interested stakeholders to attend an important meeting to be held on Tuesday September 23 at the Everest Cricket Club Pavilion, starting at 15:00 hours.

This meeting, according to the release, will discuss the roll out of the new WICB Franchise System. The new system is expected to kick into motion on October 1, 2014.

The WICB is looking to roll out a full Professional First-Class Franchise System in which a cadre of 90 players will be engaged in a professional cricket structure on a day-to-day basis, year round.

The Board has committed to partner with the six territorial boards to fund six First-Class Franchises in the region, which will compete in the annual Regional First-Class and Super50 tournaments.

Each franchise will retain 15 players, who will work as a unit on a day-to-day basis in each territory under a Head Coach and support staff. The six franchises will be based in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago and Windward Islands.

A few persons have already endorsed the new system, noting that it can only serve to enhance West Indies cricket.

Regional business executive and Director of WICB, Don Wehby, said on Saturday that the professionalisation of First-Class cricket in the West Indies will revolutionise the game in the region.

“This professional structure and environment is geared towards, and certainly will, revolutioniSe cricket in the region and contribute significantly to the repositioning of the West Indies team in the upper echelons of international cricket,” said Wehby, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaican headquartered multi-national company, GraceKennedy Limited.

“I am excited by the prospects for the success of this professional structure and I urge that it receive the support of regional governments, corporate Caribbean, fans, the tourism sector and all the facets of our society which hold cricket dear,” urged Wehby, a former Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Public Service in the Jamaican government.

Former West Indies fast bowler, Adam Sanford, has also thrown his support behind the WICB and its latest initiative.

The Dominica-born right-arm fast-medium bowler, who now resides in and plays for the USA national cricket team, believes the move will serve to create a professional environment that would eventually lead to the creation of top level players.

The initiative he added, will serve to expose more players to the West Indies selectors.

“The talent is in West Indies; the players are there and the talents are there but if you pick the wrong people to play then it is not going to happen because the level is just going to stay where it is. Like I’ve always said, I’d love to see players go out there and do what they have to do and given an opportunity like that, players are being given the opportunity and you have to give West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for doing something like that,” he said.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Wales CDC made easy work of Zeelugt on Saturday at the Zeelugt Community ground with a 102 run win when the 2014 40 overs West Demerara Cricket competition continued.

Wales taking first strike in a rain reduced match (28 overs), scored a comfortable 233 for 9 off their allotted amount of overs.

Ramesh Thakur was in top form with the compiling a stroke filled 110 while Malesh Persaud fell short of a half century with 46 runs,

Omar Shakur was the most successful bowler for Zeelugt with figures of five over for 31 run while taking three wickets.

David Doonuaght was the next best bowler with six overs for 33 runs along with two wickets.

In reply, Zeelugt never got going as fell to 131 all out off of 25 overs to lose the game as Terry Dass was only able to muster 27 runs while Dennis Maniram has 22 in the abysmal bating effort.

Chandrika perdaud was a charm with the ball, picking up a fiver for off five overs while giving away 37 runs to help his side with the win.

Brian Pooran was economical with the ball only giving away 11 runs off of his six overs, picking up two wickets in the process.

The tournament will continue next weekend at different venues across West Demerara.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The Young Warriors Cricket Club (YWCC) pitch is now being left to mercy of the elements as bandits on Sunday night carted off the club’s pitch covers.

The ground is located in Cumberland Village, East Canje, Berbice, and the executives now seeking the support of the public in locating the much needed pieces of covers.

“The members of the club express shock and disappointment that people can be so low and heartless to steal such an important piece of equipment, which is used to care the cricket venue,” the club said in a statement on Monday.

It added, “The venue has produced many national cricketers and has made a difference in the lives of many people in the Canje area. It is a real shame, and the club calls on the police to apprehend the perpetrators and deal with them accordingly.”

Anyone having information with regards the recovery of the covers are asked to contact Anil Beharry on 623-6875, Hubern Evans on 624-3275 and Sahadeo Singh on 617-1103.

All information will be treated with confidence, the release concluded.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Led by some useful contributions from the batsmen, Metro Office and Computer Supplies defeated Good Hope All Stars in a high-scoring feature 20/20 tapeball cricket match on Saturday last.

Playing at the National Park Tarmac, Good Hope All Star batted first and piled up 205 from the allotted overs with Harold (46), Chan (34) and Billy (27) being the leading scorers in an innings that included 14 fours and six sixes.

Faced with an asking rate of over 10 runs per over from the start of the innings, the Metro boys did not shy away from the challenge, but rather they confronted it head on, charging to victory to lift the winner’s trophy.

Vish Baljor and P. Sukharan were at the crease when victory was achieved, finishing on an unbeaten 44 and 40 not out respectively. Sachin Sahadeo made 33, while H. Samlall supported with 18. The innings included 14 fours and 11 sixes.

After the game, Metro skipper Arif Baksh commended his players for a great effort, noting that the victory was the result of total teamwork.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Guyana Defence Force (GDF) defeated Transport Sports Club (TSC) by eight wickets when the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Hadi’s World City Mall Inc first division two-day tournament continued last weekend with one game.

Host GDF batted first and posted 210 all out in 76.1 overs. Marcus Watkins and Cylus Sam scored 34 each; Randy Lindore made 33 and Paul O Neil 31. Off spinner Azeem Azeez grabbed 4-31 and Kevin Ross 2-47. TSC were sent packing for 75 in 18.1 overs in reply. Azeez and Charwayne McPherson were the only batsmen that reached double figures with 18 and 11 respectively. Pacer Gilford Moore bagged 5-21 and Orlando Tanner 3-20.

Trailing by 135, TSC managed 164 before they were bowled out in 51.3 overs in their second turn at the crease. Ryan Hemraj cracked 46 and Azeez 31. Kenswel DeJonge picked up 5-43 and O Neil claimed two wickets.

Set 29 for victory GDF reached their target for the lost of two wickets. Damian Ross made an unbeaten 15 and Watkins eight not out.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The title of the best 20/20 cricket team in the Upper Corentyne is still to be decided.

That is even after a day of enthralling, exciting and action packed cricket. The reason being that the final between two evenly matched teams – Skeldon Community Centre (SCC) and No 64 Fighting Marines ended in a tie. The occasion was the final of the GUYTRAC 20/20 cricket competition organised by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) for teams in that area.

Despite the outfield being on the softer side which made scoring somewhat difficult, the game which was played in bright sunshine in front of a fair size crowd went down to the wire.

The two teams were the last standing from the 20 which initially started the competition.

Skeldon Community Centre took first strike and reached a formidable 174 all out in 18.2 overs with skipper Sherwin Murray continuing his prolific form in the competition as he led from the front with an attacking 57 ( 6×6, 3×4); he received support from Rabindra Singh with 31(2×6, 1×4). There were 23 extras.

Bowling for No.64 Fighting Marines, all rounder Stephen Embrack grabbed 4-18, while Rozan Subhan picked up two wickets. The Fighting Marines in their turn at the wicket were prepared for the fight.  They were going at a reasonable clip and were well placed at 114 when the second wicket fell.  They however lost their way in the middle. However, their batsmen kept the pace and at the start of the last over they needed two runs to win with some three wickets remaining.  With the place in semi-darkness, Essequibo Inter county left arm spinner Robert Moore was entrusted with the ball and did a marvelous job. The first three deliveries went past the bat; the fourth got a wicket, via the LBW route.  A cheeky single was scored off the fifth to tie the score. With one off one the final delivery was hit straight back to the bowler who collected and effected a run out at the non striker’s end as the batsmen attempted a single.

The main scorers for the Marines were Davendra Budhoo 57 (3×6,3×4 ), Emanuel Davidson 49(5×6, 3×4), and Stephen Embrack who blasted a quick fire 23(3×6, 1×4).   Bowling for Skeldon CC. Moore, Junior Blair and Deon Esau picked up two wickets each, while Murray chipped in with one.

With the score being tied and the place already dark there was no time for a super over. There was some controversy which was quickly resolved by the members of the UCCA. The decision was made to award both teams as joint winners and split the winnings.

Embrack for his outstanding all round performance was named man of the match.

Earlier in a lone semifinal, SCC defeated No.69 Red Rose by 69 runs in a high scoring affair. The SCC team took first strike and blasted 240-6 in their 20 overs with the Murray hammering 82 not out which contained (10×6, 2×4), Parmanand Narine56 (5×6, 2×4) and Junior Blair 50(7×6).

Bowling for Red Rose Chetram Nourand took two wickets.

Red Rose despite being lead by a Tamesh Persaud swashbuckling 97(9×6, 7×4) they fell for 171 as no other batsmen showed any real resistance.  Bowling for SCC Robert Moore took 4-38 and was well supported by Junior Blair and Patrick Narine with two wickets apiece.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Police took an early lead in the 2014 Joint Services t20 cricket tournament, winning both of their games yesterday while City Constabulary remain at the bottom of the four-team tournament with two defeats.

Matches were played yesterday in sultry conditions at the Police Sports Club ground Eve Leary and the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) ground at Camp Ayanganna with Police beating the Guyana Fire Service and City Constabulary while GDF hammered City Constabulary and First Service got past GDF, who like Police, compete in the Georgetown Cricket Association’s (GCA) first and second division tournaments.

At Camp Ayanganna in the morning game, Police defeated Fire Service by nine wickets after firing out the fire fighters for a paltry 20 with no batsman reaching double figures. Demerara Inter-County pacers Randy Knights (4-6) and Seon Daniels (3-9) conspired to take seven wickets between them before the Cops raced to 22-1 for their emphatic win with Kord Griffith with 12 not out and Brentnol Woolford, who made an unbeaten four, seeing their team to victory after Troy Benn was run out.

In the other game at the GDF ground, played yesterday afternoon, Fire Service registered an upset win over the host.

At Eve Leary in the morning game, GDF amassed the day’s highest total as Terry Fraser with an entertaining 74 and Coldis Sam, who scored an aggressive 66 featuring in an unfinished century third wicket stand to propel the Army to 197-2.

The solders, led by a five-wicket haul from Orlando Tanner then bundled out City Constabulary for 31 to win by 166 runs.

In the afternoon contest at Eve Leary, City Constabulary reached 109-6 when their 20 overs expired with Devon Layne top-scoring with a well put together 40 but only Kishoff Augustus (14) and Richie Richardson (12) offering any assistance as Kenton Grumble, Ricardo Leacock and former Inter-County pacer Trevor Benn took two wickets each.

Police were aided by several dropped catches but responded with 110-3 as the left-handed Stephon Blacks leading the way with 31. He got support from Dwayne McPherson who made 23.

The competition continues today at the GDF ground with two matches.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) hammered Third Class by an innings and 120 runs when the latest action of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/Noble House Sea Foods second division two-day competition concluded last weekend.

GCC rattled up 244 all out batting first at Gandhi Youth Organisation ground. Ronaldo Mohamed stroked 81 and Samuel McKenzie 63. Keon Bailey picked up eight wickets for Third Class who were skittled for 56 in response. Bernard Bailey snared three scalps, while Devon Lord, Cleyon Critchlow and Mohamed captured two apiece.

In their second turn at the crease Third Class were bowled out for 68. Lord and Bailey were the main wicket takers with four each.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Guyana Chronicle article.

TORONTO, Canada – Our Own Sports Club made it three wins in a row while first-timers Wakenaam had a successful debut when the first and second division Over-40 finals of the Ontario Masters Softball League (OMSL) were contested last Sunday at Littles ground, Scarborough here on Sunday.

Playing before a bumper Sunday afternoon crowd and in a festive atmosphere after early morning showers had threatened to derail the much-anticipated clashes, fans were treated to two entertaining encounters despite both being low-scoring affairs.

In a repeat of the finals for the last two years, Our Own once again got the better of Guyana Sports Club (GSC), winning by four wickets while Wakenaam registered a five-wicket victory over Essequibo Cricket Club. Winning the toss and opting to take first strike, GSC were off to a disastrous start, losing the wicket of Richard Driffield to the first ball of the innings after seasoned campaigner and the league’s most economical bowler Mahendranauth ‘Bobby’ Parasnauth knocked back his middle stump.

It was soon 14 for 2, with Parasnauth again in the action, uprooting the stumps of Jito Narine (four). Worse was to come for GSC, as they lost the prized wicket of former Guyana all-rounder Sunil Dhaniram (six), comprehensively bowled by Troy Gobin, whose first over went for nine.

Top scorer Ray Moosaie added some impetus to the innings with a fine knock of 25 which included a six and three fours but failed to beat a direct throw from former Canadian national Desmond Cholmondeley as GSC slipped further into trouble at 46 for four in the 12th over.

Three further run-outs, one of them resulting from another spectacular throw from Jaimini Singh, did little to help GSC’s cause as they ended on what seemed an insufficient 89 all out at the expiration of their 20 overs. The wily Parasnauth finished with two for 12 and Gobin two for 16 from their allotted three overs.

Our Own’s reply was almost identical to GSC’s as Jaimini Singh, the former Essequibo all-rounder, succumbed to the second ball of the innings for a duck, skying a catch to deep midwicket after Orin O’Neil had taken a single off the first ball.

It was soon two for two as Fazal Shakoor held a stunning caught-and-bowled chance to send O’Neil packing before Gobin and Shivnauth Seeram, who both represented Guyana at the Under-19 level, steadied the innings with an array of attacking and at times defensive batting.

Seeram departed for a quick-fire 23 which included two towering sixes and with the demise of Cholmendeley for a first-ball duck, Our Own were shakily placed at 37 for four in the eighth over.

Skipper Parasnauth, with a calm head, however, joined Gobin, the two adding an invaluable 21 for the fifth wicket and by the time the former departed for 13, 20 runs were still needed for victory. Gobin, who was later named MVP for the winning team, followed with 13 adrift of the winning target, his fine 33 laced with two fours and a six.

The seventh-wicket pair of Jesh Parasnauth and Mohan Singh ensured no further alarms as victory was achieved in 18.3 overs much to the delight of Our Own supporters. Shakoor, who had caused the early damage, finished with the impressive figures of four for nine.

In the second division encounter, Wakenaam created quite a storm by becoming the first side to gain championship honours in the initial attempt, turning back the challenge of Essequibo Cricket Club in a clash of teams from the Ancient County.

Chasing 89 for victory, after Essequibo were limited to 88 for nine in their allotted 20 overs, Wakenaam were in a spot of bother at 40 for five in the ninth over before Chintaram Ramroop (28 not out) and Muntaz Hamid with an unbeaten 27 sealed the deal with an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 50. Jeetendra Harrilall (two for 10) and Omar Shamshudeen (two for 16) were Essequibo’s best bowlers.

Earlier, Essequibo were indebted to 28 not out from Anand Sukhdeo and 21 from captain Pradeep Gopiechand as Ahmad Bashir (three for nine), Ivan Narine (two for seven), Muneshwar Monasar (two for 10) and Hazaar Abdool (two for 15) shared the bowling honours.

The championship victory by Our Own marked their third consecutive and their 45th on the trot over the last three years, prompting skipper Parasnauth to express his delight over his team’s performance and to praise the efforts of the sponsors and many supporters over the years. He also had kind words for the league for its brilliant organising abilities.

At an impressive presentation ceremony, which followed and was presided over by OMSL president Jai Singh, players from all four participating teams were recipients of medals while the MVPs, runner-up teams and winners collected trophies. The league’s presentation dinner and dance is set for October 18 next.

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.

Guyana Chronicle article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Buoyed by their six-wicket victory over Essequibo in the first round, a confident Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Developmental XI, led by national all-rounder Steven Jacobs, will face Demerara in one of two second-round matches of this year’s GCB senior Inter-county four-day tournament which bowls off today.

This contest will take place at the Everest Cricket Club ground, while in the other contest, Berbice and perennial whipping boys Essequibo, will go head-to-head at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground. Both matches bowl off at 09:30hrs each day.

At Everest, the Developmental XI, who came under some questionable umpiring decisions against Essequibo in their first innings, will be looking to West Indies Under-19 openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Shimron Hetmyer to give them a solid start with the bat, reminiscence of their second-innings performance against the Cinderella County boys, when chasing 268 for victory.

The middle order will be bolstered by Jacobs, Chandrapaul Hemraj, David Latchaya, Yatesh Dhanpaul, the vastly improving Kemo Paul and Kemol Savory, while Kellon Carmichael, Steven Sankar and Niall Smith will bolster the lower order, if the management decides to go with the same 11 for this match.

Yes, Demerara have three of the four centurions from their first-round matchup against Berbice within their ranks, but once Jacobs can get his boys to bowl a tidy line and length and reduce the free-scoring ability of the Garvin Nedd-coached Demerara lineup, then this contest can be an interesting one.

Carmichael will be expected to share the new ball with either Smith or Paul in windy conditions, taking the sheen off same for Jacobs, Dhanpaul and Sankar to do their magic with spin, especially on a track that offers assistance to spin bowling.

Nevertheless, the Vishal Singh-led Demerara unit will look to the skipper, first-round double centurion in opener Rajendra Chandrika and national opener Trevon Griffith, their three centurions, backed by Christopher Barnwell, Shemroy Barrington, Robin Bacchus, Zaheer Mohammed and Joseph Perry, to post a good total if asked to bat first.

Their bowlers will be led by Barnwell and Paul Wintz, while Bacchus, Mohammed, Amir Khan, Raj Nannan and to a lesser extent Griffith, can lend valuable support in the bowling department.

At DCC, the Ancient County will be forced to make changes to their lineup, as national all-rounder Royston Crandon, who was embroiled in an on-field altercation with Barrington in the first round, has been handed a one-match suspension by the Disciplinary Committee of the GCB.

Apart from that, Devon Clements and Jason Sinclair both failed with the bat, as Jonathan Foo’s miserable run continues while Kandasammy Surujnarine, who was involved in a match-saving 163-run fourth-wicket partnership with Crandon, finished unbeaten on 132 to become the fourth centurion.

Anthony Bramble, skipper Narsingh Deonarine, Herman Latcha, Veerasammy Permaul and Keon Joseph who batted wisely and cautiously during his 69-run third-wicket partnership with Surujnarine on the final morning, will all lend support with the bat.

In Joseph and Raun Johnson, Berbice have the best new-ball pair in the country, with backings coming from Romario Shepherd-DeJonge, who should be having a run at the Essequibians – a team that is susceptible to fast bowling.

Permaul, Deonarine, Latcha and former West Indies Under-19 left-arm orthodox spinner Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, will take charge of the spin bowling department with support from Clements and Foo, if selected.

There is no doubt that when it comes to the possession of a strong mental fortitude, skipper Anthony Adams stands head and shoulders above his teammates in the Vibert Johnson-coached Essequibo lineup.

Year after year, he has led their bowling without much of a frown, even when the national selectors continue to bypass him and this year, he finished the limited overs version of the tournament with 11 wickets, having taken 5 against Demerara who won their first-round contest by the skin of their teeth, four against the Under-19s and two against Berbice.

Yet, he was bypassed for the best bowler award, an obvious mistake acknowledged by those in authority, while in his side’s first-round game against the Developmental XI, he ended with eight wickets, after taking 7 for 34 in the first innings that routed the opposition for 128.

With such attributes, openers Kevon Boodie and Royan Fredericks, along with Ricardo Peters, Ricardo Adams, Mark Gonsalves, Parmesh Parsotam and Shivendra Hemraj, will need to come good with the bat against Berbice and post an insurmountable total – one that will enable Mark Tyrell, Brian Herbert, Hemchand Persaud, Anthony Adams and Fredericks to bowl at, if they intend to have their team produce a much better showing, in comparison to what was seen in the second innings of their first-round game against the Developmental XI.

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.

Guyana Chronicle article.

Georgetown, Guyana - With the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) getting ready to roll out a full Professional First Class Franchise System, in which a cadre of 90 players will be engaged in a professional cricket structure on a day-to-day basis all year round, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) yesterday at the Everest Cricket Club pavilion brought its stakeholders up to date with the system.

Present at yesterday’s update were GCB president (ag) Faizal Bacchus, secretary Anand Sanasie, Marketing Manager Raj Singh and members of the four teams who are currently competing in the GCB senior Inter-county tournament.

Using a Microsoft PowerPoint programme to better educate his audience on the soon-to-be-implemented system, both Sanasie and Singh who were assisted by the GCB’s Territorial Development Officer Colin Stuart, said the GCB has set up a body called Cricket Guy Inc. (CGI) which will oversee the smooth operations of the franchise system on behalf of the WICB.

“Just last week, the WICB and the players body, West Indies Players Association (WIPA), signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and this means that all players who sign onto the franchise, will be having certain obligations they have to meet.

They will be paid for commitment to their careers and development which will be more structured and carefully monitored, while they will be held accountable to their employers, franchises and most importantly, themselves.”

“Cricket Guy Inc. is the name of the company which will be overlooking our franchise which has been set up to administer the WICB four- and one-day tournaments each year, commencing from November and running until March.

It is the duty of CGI to ensure the 15 players selected to represent this franchise are developed and prepared, while CGI will be implementing programmes and activities, following which a report on each player’s development will be forwarded to the WICB from CGI, who will develop a database for such purposes,” added the trio.

According to the presenters, players need to understand their roles in the new system and must adhere to their contractual obligations, amongst which they are asked to maintain maximum fitness and training standards all year round.

“When you are fulfilling your contractual obligations as requested, it is left up to us to ensure certain things are put in place, such as organising youth cricket at all levels from Under-15 to U-19, female cricket as well as T20 competitions and other developmental programmes you will asked to be a part of.”

They stated that the WICB and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have signed an eight-year agreement, which will see the latter pay to the former, $45 000 per month during the term life of their contract, while CGI will be tasked with locating other sponsors and shareholders for its franchise.

At the moment, CGI is waiting to sign the tri-partite agreement between themselves, WICB and WIPA, which should be done during the course of this week, even as the GCB has already identified 10 of its 15 players.

“Yes, we have identified 10 of our 15 players, with another 15 being thrown into the pool from which the remaining five players will be selected for our franchise and those who are involved in the draft, must sign a letter of commitment, which has as one of its clause, the  player’s willingness to relocate to another country.

When all of this is done, then you the players will be issued with retainer contracts which you will sign and be held accountable to, come what may, since the new franchise system will see you being paid for commitment and development to your careers, which will now be more structured and carefully monitored,” said Singh.

Prior to the GCB’s update, several prominent individuals within the Caribbean including business executive and Director of the WICB Don Wehby, said the professionalisation of First Class cricket in the West Indies will revolutionise the game in the region.

The WICB has committed to partner with the six territorial boards to fund six First Class Franchises in the region which will compete in the annual Regional First Class and Super50 tournaments.

Each franchise will retain 15 players who will work as a unit on a day-to-day basis in each territory under a Head Coach and support staff, with the six franchises being based in Barbados, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands and Guyana.

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The West Demerara Cricket Association (WDCA) 40-over cricket competition continued last weekend in that part of the country with Meten-Meer-Zorg West enhancing their chances of title honours with two wins out of two.

They first defeated Cornelia Ida by four wickets, before following up with a comfortable 40-run victory over Tuschen. Cornelia Ida batted first and succumbed for just 89 in 20.1 of the reduced 21 overs per side after rain wiped off a significant portion of the match.

National Under-17 off-spinner Richie looknauth top scored with 21 (2x4s), while Ameer Khan made 11. Bowling for the hosts, 17-year-old pacer Levery Miggins blew away Cornelia Ida’s batting with 5-10 from five overs. He was supported by Vishal Jaigobin (2-1) and Mahendra Nandkishore (2-20)

Seymour Evans then topscored with 32 (3x4s, 2x6s) and Jaigobin chipped in with 18 not out (3x4s) as Meten- Meer-Zorg West reached 93-7 in 17 overs to emerge victorious.

Batting first in the other game, Meten- Meer-Zorg West posted 176 in 32 overs with Miggins scoring 42 (3x6s, 1×4), Evans 24 (3x4s, 1×6) and Sheldon Alexander 17 (3x4s). V. Kissoon picked up 3-37 for Tuschen, who replied with 136 all out in 22 overs.

Kissoon returned to score 25 (4x4s), as Miggins claimed 3-19 from five overs, Vinod Rajkumar 3-12 and Alexander 2-21. The competition will continue this weekend with more games on the West Demerara corridor.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) 2014 First Division 50-over knockout cricket competition continued last weekend with one first round match and two games from the second round.

A brilliant innings of 96 from Devendra Thakoordeen spearheaded Port Mourant to victory over Police to help them gain a place in the semi-finals. After Police made 204 in 46.4 overs with Brentnol Woolford leading the way with 73, Port Mourant slipped to 27-2, before Thakoordeen took charge and featured in a 142-run third wicket stand with former Guyana Under-19 all-rounder Loyydel Lewis.

Lewis made 41 but after he left at 169-3, Port Mourant slipped to 191-6 and then 201-9 before they squeezed home by one wicket.

Elsewhere, former Berbice leg-spinner Shawn Pereira took 4-26 from eight overs, his second consecutive four wicket haul, to help Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets restrict West Berbice to 154.

When Rose Hall Town replied, they slipped to 25-3 before Pereira and Berbice all-rounder Rajiv Ivan put on 53 for the fourth wicket. They further slipped to 106-7 before Vidol Crandon and Pereira took them home without further hiccups and into the semi-finals. It was off-spinner Andel Doris with 4-50 who had them in trouble.

Universal Solutions Bermine had drawn the bye through to the semi-finals after defeating Young Warriors in the first round.

Meanwhile, the last first round match was played off on Saturday with Guytrac Upper Corentyne inflicting a 10-wicket whipping on Bush Lot Rising Star. Pacer Omesh Khemraj took the first four wickets for Upper Corentyne to have Bush Lot reeling at 7-4.

His fellow pacer Victor Pedro and Latchman Roopchand soon had them 27-6 and shortly after 34 all out with Khemraj and Pedro picking up four wickets each. Upper Corentyne went on to win by 10 wickets in just 3.2 overs.

Hosts Albion Community Centre will host Guytrac Upper Corentyne in their second round match on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals. Below are the summarised scores from the games played.

At Cumberland: Port Mourant beat Police by one wicket. Police 204 in 46.4 overs (Brentnol Woolford 73, Kwesi Mickle 25, Avinash Wajib 3-29, Loyydel Lewis 3-42, Troy Gonsalves 2-32) Port Mourant 205-9 in 42.1 overs (Devendra Thakoordeen 96, Loyydel Lewis 42, Andel Doris 4-50, Albert Sinclair 3-50, Rocky Hutson 2-30).

At Bush Lot in West Berbice: Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets beat West Berbice by three wickets.

West Berbice 154 in 36.4 overs (Arthley Bailey 40, Raffiel Estriado 36, Krishendat Ramoo 27, Shawn Pereira 4-26, Rajiv Ivan 3-18, Troy Mathieson 2-15) Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets 158-7 in 39.1 overs (Vidol Crandon 44*, Rajiv Ivan 40, Shawn Pereira 33*, Eon Hooper 20, Keith Fraser 2-26).

At Number 69: Guytrac Upper Corentyne beat Bush Lot Rising Star by 10 wickets. Bush Lot Rising Star 34 in 13 overs (Omesh Khemraj 4-9, Victor Pedro 4-14, Latchman Roopchand 2-8) Guytrac Upper Corentyne 38-0 in 3.2 overs.

The semi-finals are scheduled for Sunday with Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets playing Universal Solutions Bermine at a venue to be identified, while Port Mourant will be at home against the winner of the Albion Community Centre/Guytrac Upper Corentyne second round match.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The final of the Parbatie Jaggai Memorial Inter Secondary School T20 cricket competition organized by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association for schools in the area has been rescheduled to Friday from last Friday due to inclement weather.

Competing will be Skeldon High School (Lutheran) and Tagore Memorial Secondary at the Crabwood Creek Sports Complex Ground.

Four schools, Tagore Memorial Secondary, Skeldon High, Skeldon Annex and Skeldon Line Path Secondary were scheduled to compete, but Skeldon Annex withdrew because of their inability to field a team.

The three remaining teams competed against each other using the round-robin format with the top two advancing to the final. Skeldon High won both their games, Tagore had one win.

The competition is sponsored by Steven Seeraj, son of the late Parbatie Jaggai and will see the winning team receiving the Parbatie Jaggai Memorial Trophy and stationery voucher valued $15,000 while the runner-up will collect a trophy and a stationery voucher ($10,000). The man-of-the-match in the final will receive a trophy.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Man-of-the-final Riaz Karim blasted 39 (6×6) including five maximums off the first five deliveries of their reply to guide Leonora Masjid to a comprehensive 9-wicket win over their counterparts from Fairfield to win the 4th annual RAF’s T10 Memorial softball cricket competition organised by the Muslim Youth Organisation.

Playing at the MYO ground, Woolford Avenue and Albert Street in blazing sunshine, Karim was also in blazing form as Leonora in their debut year cantered to a mammoth win.

Fairfield batting first limped to 75-4 off their overs, their final score was shaped by an unbeaten 31 (1×4 2×6) by Shaz Grovesnor and Fazeer Khan’s 18 (1×4 1×6). Faheer Hussein and Asif Sophie took one wicket each for Leonora who wasted no time in knocking off the runs.

Karim, who also won trophies and two bats for scoring the most runs in the competition as well as the highest individual score (85) ripped apart the Fairfield bowling from the first over, lashing five sixes from the first five deliveries, all sailing into the Lamaha Canal.

It took the winners a mere 3.3 overs to hit off the required runs; they ended on 76-1, Ameer Nizamudeen 20 (3×6) and Azad Azeez 12 (1×4 1×6) formalizing the win, 64 of the runs coming in boundaries. MYO won the third place game against Cotton Tree, responding with 77-5 after holding Cotton Tree to 76-6.

Earlier, Leonora indicated that they were in a no nonsense mood when they defeated last year’s champions, MYO in their semi final clash. MYO could only reach 131-8 in reply to Leonora’s 147-2, batting first.

Zamal Khan blasted 78 (5×4 8×6) and Azad Azeez 45 (2×4 5×6) for Leonora. MYO fell short of the target in their response as they could only manage 131-8; Shaeed Gittens made 25 (2×4 1×6), Wazir Hussein 24 (1×4 3×6), Shafraz Esau 22 (3×6).

Asif Saphie had a hat-trick in his 3-22 in the 4th over of the innings, backed up by Abass Zaman’s 2 wickets; Leonora was able to limit MYO to book their place in the final.

In the other semi, Fairfield defeated Cotton Tree by 13 runs. Fairfield posted 110-6, Zameer Mohamed stroked 27 (3×4 1×6), Shaz Grovesnor 21 (2×4 1×6), Timore Gafoor 16*, Fazeer Khan  14 (2×6) and Yadunauth Persaud 13* leading the way.

Asif Shaw, Wazim Subhan and Fazeer Ahmad each took a pair of wickets for Cotton Tree who could only manage 97-4 in response despite Asif Shaw’s unbeaten 51 (4×6) and Fazeer Ahmad’s 31 (3×4 1×6). Y. Persaud took three wickets.

Leonora’s Asif Saphie won trophies for taking the most wickets in the competition (9) as well as the best bowling figures (4-5). The top four teams were all rewarded with cash prizes for the teams and their respective Masjid’s while the top two also received medals apart from trophies.

In remarks at the presentation ceremony, sponsor, Brother Fazal Rafeek of RAF’s Variety Store, King Street, Georgetown, thanked all the players and officials involved in the competition that attracted 36-Masjids for their collective inputs.

Brother Rafeek complimented the new champions for their clinical performance and encouraged the other teams to up their game next year in order to win overall. Coordinator Brother Imran Ally also expressed gratitude to Brother Rafeek and the respective Masjids for making this fourth edition of the tournament another success.

The competition is organised in memory of the Late Hajjin Zeleena Rafeek who was an ardent cricket fan and supporter of sports.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Hopetown United are through to the semi-finals of the Hand-in-Hand second division 40-over knock-out cricket competition in West Berbice, after defeating Achievers by 79 runs in their second round match.

Enjoying home advantage, Hopetown won the toss and chose to bat first and were 27-2 before Kenje Sedoc and Derrick Cadogan (19) added 30 for the 3rd wicket. Medium pacer Randy Wade then removed Cadogan for 19 and Trevon Jhingree for 2, to further reduce them to 57-4.

Sedoc added 37 for the 5th wicket with Kelvin Bennett (5) before two wickets fell with the score on 92.

Sedoc eventually fell for 59 (2×4 5×6) in Hopetown’s eventual total of 134 all out in 26.3 overs. Bowling for Achievers, Under-15 pacer Titus Webster returned figures of 4-9, Randy Wade 2-17 and Joseph Nicholson 2-35.

When Achievers replied, Hopetown opening pacer Derrick Cadogan picked up the first four wickets to leave them on 22-4. Fellow opener bowler Emerson Benjamin grabbed two wickets off consecutive balls to leave Achievers reeling at 28-6. It became 44-7 when off spinner Kelvin Bennett struck.

From that position, Cadogan came back and cleaned up the last three wickets to see Achievers bowled out for 55 in 14.2 overs. Cadogan ended with 7-9 from 5.2 overs, Benjamin backed up with 2-13 from 6 overs.

Blairmont Community Centre also made it through to the semi-finals getting past Rainbow Generation by 2 wickets. Rainbow Generation, choosing to bat first were bowled out for 75 in 21 overs; Darren Downer made 24 and Odel Burnett 20.

Bowling for Blairmont, Berbice Under-15 off spinner Seon Glasgow Jnr. took 4-17, Under-15 left arm spinner Javid Karim 3-9 and off spinner Shabeer Baksh 2-7. Blairmont Community Centre replied with 78-8. Bowling for Rainbow Generation, off spinners Dillon Hamilton and Keino Gravesande took two wickets each.

Cotton Tree Die Hard and D’Edward are the other teams into the final four.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Police remained unbeaten after their third match in this year’s Joint Services T20 cricket tournament with the completion of action on day two of the five-team competition yesterday at the GDF ground, Camp Ayanganna.

In the first game of a double header, Police beat the Army by four wickets with 3.1 overs to spare in scorching heat on a track with some bounce and a fast outfield. The Soldiers batted first and limped to 31 by the half way stage of their innings before the last 10 overs produced 91 runs as GDF recovered to reach 122-7.

GDF Boxer Markember Pierre inflicted some serious body blows on the Police bowlers with some explosive shots in a pugnacious 38. The left-handed Pierre added 54 in quick time towards the end of the GDF innings with Colin McPherson (18).

Pierre played some thumping shots and a six off Demerara pacer Seon Daniels sailed out of the ground while McPherson played the supporting role. Isiah Bijadder (11) and Kenrick McDonald (13) put together 27 for the first wicket but they struggled to get the ball off the square as the Cops kept the handcuffs on the pair before Pierre and McPherson staged an entertaining fight-back using heavy artillery.

Troy Benn, who picked up a couple of wickets in his last over, took 2-14 while Rawle Haynes had 3-26 after Daniels and fellow Inter County pacer Trevor Benn had produced miserly spells with the new ball.

Police began solidly before Rawle Browne (11) was run out but lost some quick wickets although opener Troy Benn played some delightful shots in his 48 and his sibling Trevor, who made 23, lent support to see Police to 126-6.

The Guyana Fire Service doused City Constabulary by five wickets in the afternoon game. City Constabulary were bowled out for 85 in 17.5 overs; Skipper Devon Layne top scoring with 15. Sheldon Phillips captured took scalps while Senton Saul, Andre Williams and Royston Simon supported with two wickets each.

Fire Service reached 86-5 in 10.4 overs; Devon Hart leading the run chase with an unbeaten 31 while Quincy James chipped in with 19. Sheldon Tudor then gave Fire Service a scare by removing Malcome Morris, Stephan Adams and Kwasie Mentore with successive balls to register the first hat-trick in the tournament.

Guyana Prison Service, the fifth team in the tournament, has not yet played a game in the competition which is scheduled to continue on Friday.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Bad Boys, the only Linden team left in the competition were sent packing by Kairuni Rising Star in their semi-final in the Linden Softball League Inter Community Championship played at the Bayroc Community Centre Ground.

Batting first, Bad Boys posted 117-9 in their allotted 12 overs. Leon Moseley top scored with 26, K. Chan 19 and W. Simon 18. Delvin Walton took 2-17 and Merryl Bharrat 2-21 in 3 overs each for Kaituni.

In reply Kairuni Rising Star eased to 120-5 off 11.1 overs; Ron Williams was the star with the bat scoring 34, Clint Patoir 28 and Terrence Williams 25. Dodie Bridgelall had 2-14 for the losers. The finals will be played at the same venue on October 5 next.

Kairuni Rising Stars will play Hill Foot Vipers for the male crown, while All Stars Conquerors from Linden will do battle with Wairuni Conquerors for the female title.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Zee News article.

New Delhi: Former India captain Rahul Dravid paid rich tributes to West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul stating that the "sheer weight of runs and duration of international career" makes left-hander an exceptional batsman.

The Guyanese batsman has so far played 158 Test matches having scored 11,684 runs with 30 centuries. He played 268 ODIs till 2011 scoring 8778 runs with 11 hundreds.

"You only have to look at his numbers?the sheer weight of them over the length of his career - which is not a short one. He's been consistent, exceptional in all conditions," Dravid was quoted as saying in 'Modern Masters', a video series by ESPN Cricinfo.

Dravid termed Chanderpaul's style of batting as a distinctly different from his peers.

"One of the things you probably forget about him is the sense of the style and the way he plays. He's not really played in a strong team. He's played in an era when West Indian cricket hasn't been at its best so they haven't had a lot of success as a team. A lot of his runs has been scored when West Indies have lost."

Dravid said that Chanderpaul was a class act while handling India's famed spin twins Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble at their best.

"The way he's able to manoeuvre balls of spinners into gaps was something that stood out. Standing in slips, you'll be able to see that Chanderpaul is able to turn his wrists at the last minute to people like Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble and just find the gap when he needed to," said Dravid.

First Published In Zee News.

Guyana Chronicle article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Following their long-serving association with beverage manufacturing giant Banks DIH, the Roger Harper-steward Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) yesterday continued that trend, this time through Banks Malta Supreme, who will be sponsoring the GCA’s Under-13 competition.

Eight teams, namely defending champions Demerara Cricket Club, Georgetown Cricket Club, Everest Cricket Club, Transport Sports Club, Gandhi Youth Organisation, Malteenoes Sports Club, Diplomats and Bel Air RUBiS will compete in the tournament which is expected to bowl off this Saturday, once venues are available.

The tournament was launched yesterday at the sponsor’s Ruimveldt-based Sports Club where Harper said it was timely and highlighted the importance of the tournament. At the same time he thanked Banks DIH for its generosity.

“We had a fantastic tournament last year and we want to thank Banks for their support, as we look forward to building a long and fruitful relationship.

“With Banks support, the kids have been given the opportunity to showcase their talents as well as they have meaningful recreation so that they can go out there, expend some energy, learn different things including teamwork, discipline and of course getting in the all-important exercise, so that they can develop healthy lifestyles,” Harper concluded.

Malta Supreme Brand Manager Clayton McKenzie said his company was delighted to be sponsoring the tournament for a second time, while they see the event as critical to the development of cricket in Georgetown and by extension Guyana.

“We have already seen the benefits in view of the fact that several players have gone on to represent the national Under-15 team. We see this tournament as a developmental one and we would like to applaud the GCA for this initiative,” he declared.

McKenzie also urged the players to make full use of the exposure and indicated that they have the full support of Banks DIH Limited.

GCA Competitions Chairman Shawn Massiah said the tournament will run for one month and will be played as a 25-overs-per-side format, with two matches being played daily when the action commences.

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.