Guyana Chronicle article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Thanks to some penetrative medium-pace bowling from Christopher Barnwell, backed by spinners Raj Nannan and Amir Khan, Demerara placed themselves in a comfortable position at the end of the first day of their second-round fixture against the GCB Developmental XI yesterday, in this year’s Guyana Cricket Board senior Inter-county four-day tournament.

Winning the toss and opting to bat first, the GCB Developmental XI, who won their first-round encounter against Essequibo by six wickets, raced to 47 in seven overs, but were bowled out for 154 on the stroke of tea, with Barnwell taking 4 for 48 with Nannan (2 for 3) and Khan 2 for 46.

Asked to bat 41 overs before the schedule close of play, Demerara saw Robin Bacchus started in a belligerent fashion, with back-to-back boundaries off Kellon Carmichael, then repeating the same off Kemo Paul two overs later as they moved to 40 without loss.

The duo raced to 45 off 7.4 overs before Bacchus was caught by Paul at long-off off Jacobs for a boundary-studded 20 (5×4), while Rajendra Chandrika was given a life by Kemol Savory off the first ball he faced, as the diminutive wicketkeeper failed to execute the stumping cleanly.

Chandrika rode his luck with Griffith, who posted his 50 from 84 balls while batting for 99 minutes in which time he struck five fours, before he was lbw to Jacobs for 53, to add 65 for the second wicket with Chandrika following next, lbw to Steven Sankar for 26.

When bad light stopped play, Demerara were 134 for 3 off 39 overs, with Khan on 14 (2×4) and his skipper Vishal Singh on 6, while Jacobs has so far taken 2 for 33 and Sankar 1 for 9, with Demerara 20 runs adrift of the Developmental XI first-innings total.

Playing an unchanged side and preferring to go with the same 11 that defeated Essequibo by six wickets in the first round, the Developmental XI won the toss, decided to bat first and saw a pugnacious-looking Shimron Hetmyer hit Paul Wintz for four fours in his first three overs.

At the other end, Hetmyer’s partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul also got a four off Wintz and debutant left-arm fast bowler Gavin Moriah, before Wintz trapped Hetmyer lbw for 41 (27 balls, 8×4), in the seventh over, after he was earlier struck for a hat-trick of fours by the left-handed opener.

Barnwell replaced Moriah at the Carifesta Avenue end and got a hat-trick of wickets in two overs, removing Chandrapaul Hemraj (10) and Steven Jacobs (0) off successive deliveries in one, followed by the wicket of Chanderpaul (8) in the other, to leave the Developmental side on 73 for 4.

They survived any further alarms up to the lunch break, which they took with their total reading 89 for 4, with David Latchaya, who foiled Barnwell’s hat-trick with back-to-back boundaries to third man on 16 and Kemo Paul, 7.

With close to 40 minutes lost during the lunch session, created by the late arrival of lunch for the players and officials at both playing venues, the Developmental XI lost Paul (7) who was bowled by Barnwell at 90 for 5 when play got under way at Camp Road,.

Kemol Savory failed to trouble the scorers, as he was run-out by Khan’s direct hit from gully point at 95 for 6. They crawled to 100 off 31 overs, after being 47 without loss from seven, early on in their innings.

Despite the fall of wickets at the other end, Latchaya continued to be positive, playing an audacious square drive to Barnwell after lunch that sped away for four, while Yatesh Dhanpaul also got a boundary off Khan, pushing the score to 110 for 6.

The demise of Latchaya, lbw to Raj Nannan for 34 (66 balls, 5×4) at 120 for 8, followed by the wicket of Carmichael (0), saw Steven Sankar and Niall Smith frustrate Demerara for another 9.2 overs as they added 27 for the 10th wicket, with Sankar hitting Khan for six and four in one over, followed by a sweetly-timed drive off Barnwell for another four.

Sankar grew in confidence as his side passed the 150-mark, celebrating same with another four, his third over extra cover off Barnwell, before Smith (4) was lbw to Khan to close off the innings and forcing an early tea break in the process.

Meanwhile, in the other second round game at the Demerara Cricket Club ground, Berbice closed the opening day on 130-3, trailing Essequibo’s first-innings total by 42 runs, after Veerasammy Permaul and Devon Clements shared seven wickets between them to bowl out Essequibo for 173 in 46.1 overs.

Permaul grabbed 5 for 54 and Clements 2 for 25, as Berbice took control of the contest after electing to field first, with only Ricardo Adams 62, Ricardo Peters 38 and Royan Fredericks 30 offering token resistance to the Ancient County bowlers.

Narsingh Deonarine was unbeaten on 43 for Berbice and has as his overnight partner, Jonathan Foo on 14, with first-round centurion Kandasammy Surujnarine (5), Seon Hetmyer (37) and Clements (21) being the batsmen dismissed.

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.

Guyana Chronicle article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The People’s Progressive Party takes this opportunity to extend congratulations to a son of this soil, national hero and a true ambassador of Guyana, batting legend Shivnarine ‘Tiger’ Chanderpaul for achieving yet another feat in world cricket, surpassing Sir Donald Bradman’s 29th Test centuries.

‘Tiger’, as he is well-known around the world, during the final Test against Bangladesh at St Lucia last week carved out a patient 101 not out to surpass Sir Donald’s record.

During the same series, Chanderpaul became only the second batsman to remain undefeated throughout a Test series with three of more innings and scored 200-plus runs.

Jacques Kallis was the first to do so, against Zimbabwe in 2001.

Additionally, we wish to congratulate ‘Tiger’ on returning to the number three position in the ICC Reliance Mobile World Test Batting Rankings and remain confident he will continue to climb his way back to the top of the rankings, having held the number one Test batsman position on several occasions in the past.

The PPP takes this opportunity to urge the West Indies Cricket Board and its Selection Panel to ensure that the Guyanese batting machine is selected for the upcoming tours of India and South Africa, since he requires a mere 228 runs to surpass Brian Lara’s record of 11 912, the most runs by any West Indian batsman.

It is important to note that Shiv currently is the 6th overall leading run-scorer in Test cricket with 11 684 runs from 156 Tests.

Records are nothing new to Chanderpaul as he also holds the record of the most not-outs by any Test batsman – left unbeaten 49 times in Test cricket.

He also scored the 4th fastest Test century in the world, having clobbered a 69-ball 100 against Australia back in 2002-2003 at Bourda.

The PPP wishes to also urge all Guyanese to join in a lobby for this great Guyanese and West Indian batting ace to be included in the West Indies team for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The PPP also calls for the Guyanese batsman to be conferred with the Order of Roraima, bearing his outstanding record as a cricketer and his commitment to the game and having represented the West Indies for more than 20 years and continuing.

Bat on, ‘Tiger’, you are truly a symbol of Guyana and the talent of our peoples.

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.

Lord’s Taverners article.

London, England - The great and the good of West Indian cricket gathered in London this week to jointly support the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity, the Lord’s Taverners, and the St John’s (Antigua) Anglican Cathedral Restoration Project.

Some of the most decorated names of West Indian cricket’s golden era were part of this special visit to pay tribute to the illustrious career of Sir Vivian Richards, including Sir Andy Roberts and Clive Lloyd among others. The trip culminated in a dinner, sponsored by Jordan Media, at the Home of Cricket – Lord’s Cricket Ground – where over 500 people raised nearly £100,000 for the two charities. 

Roberts and Lloyd were joined in paying tribute to the ‘Master Blaster’ by a host of international cricketing stars and celebrities courtesy of Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, the official destination partner of the event. Also paying tribute to Sir Vivian were his former West Indies colleagues Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge and Colin Croft, former England internationals Derek Underwood, David Gower, Mike Gatting, Geoff Miller and Lord’s Taverners president Chris Cowdrey, plus broadcast legends Tony Cozier and Sir Trevor McDonald. 

The presence of such prolific cricketing names provided the perfect opportunity to showcase the work of the Lord’s Taverners, a charity that believes all young people should have access to sport and recreation, regardless of ability or background. 

Preceding the dinner, Sir Vivian and his former teammates met some of the charity’s beneficiaries on Monday 22 September at the Kia Oval, where they were competing in the finals of the Lord’s Taverners Disability Cricket Championships (LTDCC) – a community sports initiative which provides regular year-round competition and coaching for young people with disabilities across London. 

Supported by the Berkeley Foundation, the programme will engage over 1,000 young people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, visual impairment and hearing impairment across 16 London boroughs in an innovative partnership with Essex, Kent, Middlesex and Surrey County Cricket Boards. 

Three learning and physical disability cricket teams from Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Southwark took part in the 8-a-side competition at the Ken Barrington Centre, where the West Indies legends helped assess the players’ development ahead of the inaugural LTDCC annual awards evening on 9 October. 

Sir Vivian Richards, said: “It's not often I'm moved but this has been a truly special evening and something I won't forget for a very, very long time. I'd like to thank everyone who has come here tonight and all the speakers for their incredibly kind words." 

Paul Robin, said: “Seeing Viv and the other ‘greats’ from the West Indies interacting with the young children at The Oval this week was rather special. Viv always has time and a genuine interest in helping young people whatever their challenges; so it is especially rewarding for him and the other former players there, to see how the Lord’s Taverners is achieving this through cricket. 

“Tonight at Lord’s, a very special place for Viv, he was honoured in front of 550 fans, friends and former colleagues. If he didn’t realise how special a player and human being he is, then he should after the event! It was a fun night for all and in raising funds for two good causes, we are supporting work both here and in Antigua that is close to Viv’s heart.”

First Published By Lord’s Taverners.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The Ramchand/Rohan Auto Spares nationwide softball cricket competition continued at the weekend with several outstanding performances.

The highlight of the latest round of matches was a brilliant century from Patrick, whose 101 led Farm to a mammoth 127-run win over Brickery Superstars.

Below are the summarised results of last weekend’s games.

At the DCC ground: Farm defeated Brickery Superstars by 127 runs. Farm 275-4 in 20 overs (Patrick Khan 101, Avanish Sookdeo 66, Sheldon Roach 47*, V. Persaud 2-60) Brickery Superstars 148 all out in 19 overs (Deonarine Singh 26, Ameer Khan 3-15, K. Rambarran 3-18).

Enterprise Legends defeated Wellman by two wickets. Wellman 182-8 in 20 overs (Luther Wright 35, Steve Massiah 30, Naraine Roopdeo 2-14) Enterprise 186-9 in 19.3 overs (N. Rooplall 45, Nandalall Seebarran 34, Lloyd Rooplall 3-36, Greg DeFranco 2-29).

Uprisers defeated Warriors XI by eight runs. Uprisers 171 all out in 16.1 overs (Yoodhanlall Subilall 36, Oslyn Batson 24, Fidel Singh 20, M. Arjune 4-33) Warriors XI 163-9 in 20 overs (R. Persaud 38, V Badri 33, Fidel Singh 4-18, Y. Subilall 2-18).

Trophy Stall Angels defeated Wellwoman by 14 runs. Trophy Stall Angels 87-4 in 10 overs (Roxanne Demonick 24, Haseena Mohamed 2-16) Wellwoman 73-7 in 10 overs (Haseena Mohamed 37).

Blue Divas defeated 4R Lioness by six runs. Blue Divas 92-5 in 10 overs (Lisa Gilkes 33) 4R Lioness 86–2 in 10 overs (Ruth George 23).

At the Parika ground: Industry Super Kings defeated Frontliners by five wickets. Frontliners 67-9 in 16 overs (Jagdesh Persaud 29) Industry Super Kings 68-6 in 15.2 overs (N. Chand 17).

Countryside defeated Princess Hotel by four wickets. Princess Hotel 145-8 in 20 overs (Mahendra Lilldar 31) Countryside 146-6 in 17.2 overs (Sakichan Jagdeo 53, Navin Persaud 28).

Regal Masters defeated Slingers by five wickets. Slingers 176-3 in 20 (Mohammed Rafeek 72*, Rudy Rodriques 73, M. Hardyal 2-34) Regal Masters 177-6 in 19.2 overs (Eric Thomas 47, Jaga Bhoj 33, Linden Lyght 27, Mohammed Rafeek 2-41).

Parika Defenders defeated Bel Air Rubis by four wickets. Bel Air Rubis 151-3 in 15 overs (Suresh Ramdin 66*) Parika Defenders 154-7 in 14.2 overs.

The competition will continue on Sunday with matches at the DCC and GNIC grounds in Georgetown and the Parika ground.

At the DCC ground, Queenstown: On Pitch One at 09:30 hours- Slingers versus Fishermen Masters; at 12:30 hours- 4R Lioness versus Sleeping Warriors; and at 14:00 hours- Regal Masters versus Floodlight. On Pitch Two at 09:30 hours- Countryside versus Regal XI; 12:30 hours- Trophy Stall Angels versus Blue Divas; and at 14:00 hours- Industry Super Kings versus Wellman.

At the GNIC ground, Woolford Avenue: 09:30 hours- Challengers versus Trophy Stall; and at 12:30 hours- Brickery Superstar versus Princess Hotel.

At the Parika ground: 09:30 hours- Speedboat versus Wolf Warriors; and at 12:30 hours- Enterprise Legends versus Parika Defenders.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Ramesh Thakur recorded his second century in the West Demerara Cricket Association (WDCA) 40-Over Cricket Competition as Wales CDC destroyed Zeelugt by 102 runs in their match up at the Zeelugt Community Centre ground.

Last Weekend Thakur also registered a century (114) when his team defeated New Windsor by 272 runs.

Batting first in a match that was reduced to 28 overs per side due to a wet outfield from overnight showers, Wales CDC posted 233/9 in their allotted overs. Thakur led the way with a blistering 110 and got support from Mahesh Persaud who made 46. Persaud was also a centurion (100) in Wales CDC previous match.

Bowling for Zeelugt, Omar Shakoor was the pick of the bowlers with 5/0/31/3 while David Doodnauth chipped in with 6/0/33/2.

Chasing 234 for victory, Zeelugt only managed 131 before being bowled out in 25 overs. Terry Dass (27) and Dennis Maniram (22) were the significant scorers. Chandrika Persaud was too good with the ball, accounting for five wickets from five overs and only conceded three runs in the process. Also among the wickets was Brian Pooran with figures of 6/3/11/2.

Over at Joe Viera Park, the match between Independence B and Windsor Forest was abandoned when heavy downpour hit the venue. This was after Independence B batted and scored 174 all out in 37.3 overs.

In other matches, Cultural and Sister’s Village match was also abandoned after 4.5 overs in Cultural innings. Meter-Meer-Zorg defeated Cornelia Ida and Zeeburg defeated McGill.

The competition continues this weekend.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The Floodlights Cricket Team have thrown out a challenge to the Media XI for a clash under lights at the DCC Ground on an agreed Friday evening, which the Media team have accepted.

The contest could either be Hardball or Softball of which the Media team have the choice to make.

The Floodlights team are preparing for the impending Guyana Softball Cup four tournament.

John Ramsingh, responding for the Guyana Media XI, informed Ricky Deonarine of the Floodlights team who issued the challenge, that they have accepted the challenge and will like the contest to be a hardball game which is tentatively fixed for October 3.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) yesterday presented a bat to all-rounder Kemo Paul for his outstanding performance during the recently concluded Regional U-19 tournament which was played in Guyana.

Secretary of the ECB, Otto Christiani, who presented the bat to Paul on Tuesday last at Everest Cricket Club, said the board recognizes the performance of Paul which will serve as an impetus for other young cricketers in the county.

He encouraged the cricketer to take the game seriously and wished him well. Paul thanked the Board for the support.

He was born at Saxacalli in Essequibo, but later migrated to the island of Wakenaam where he started to play cricket competitively for Noitgedacht SC. Paul was instrumental in Guyana’s success in both forms of the game and was given the best U-19 all-rounder accolade in the tournament.  He is currently playing for the Guyana Cricket Board Development Squad in the Inter County competition.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) is set to host the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) in a feature 50-over cricket match at the No. 69 Vikings Cricket Ground on Sunday October 26, 2014.

The event which is expected to feature a number of big names including former West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, will be used as a fundraiser for the UCCA and will also provide cricket lovers in the Upper Corentyne area an opportunity to see some of the country’s national players in action.

The GCC team, apart from Sarwan, expected to include a number of national players the likes of Robin Bacchus, Vishal Singh and Leon Johnson.

The UCCA team will be playing as the UCCA President’s XI and will feature some seven guest players from outside of Upper Corentyne area, however, the names have not been released as yet. But the players would be drawn from clubs such as Young Warriors, Rose Hall Town, Chesney and Albion.

The final squad for both teams will be finalized shortly.  The UCCA is urging cricket lovers come out in their numbers and help a worthy cause.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The semi-finals of the East Bank Demerara Cricket Association (EBDCA)/Neville Sarjoo Memorial T20 competition will be played this weekend.

North Soesdyke take on Diamond at Laluni on Saturday with Andrew Allen and Moses Ramnarine umpiring, and on Sunday Uprising face Ruimveldt, with Eddie Nicholls and Javed Persaud officiating.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Guyana Chronicle article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Indebted to Amir Khan’s maiden and resilient century along with a five-wicket haul from Steven Jacobs, Demerara ended the second day of their second round four-day fixture against the Guyana Cricket Board Developmental XI at the Everest Cricket Club ground, with victory in their sights.

Resuming on 134 for 3 in search of 155 for first innings honours, Demerara were bowled out for 338 with Khan contributing 116 and skipper Vishaul Singh 56, while opener Trevon Griffith had earlier scored 53 late on the opening day.

Jacobs took 5 for 91 in a marathon spell of 43.1 overs and got support from Steven Sankar who took 3 for 48, before their side slipped to 7 for 3 in their second innings, when faced with a deficit of 184 runs, thanks to the bowling of Paul Wintz and Gavin Moriah.

Moriah trapped Shimron Hetmyer lbw for 3, while a double strike from Wintz accounted for both Tagenarine Chanderpaul and David Latchaya without scoring and Christopher Barnwell removed Chanderpaul Hemraj 12 (3×4) at 19 for 4, followed by Wintz’s dismissal of Jacobs who was bowled looking for an expansive drive for 8 (2×4) at 23 for 5 as doomsday faced the Developmental XI.

Kemo Paul 6 and Kemol Savory 9 rallied to push them to 38 for 5 at the close of play, with their side needing 146 more runs to avoid an innings defeat, with Wintz taking 3 for 14 and a wicket each for Barnwell and Moriah at the close.

Earlier, Demerara resumed the day on 134 for 3, in search of 20 more to surpass their opponent’s first innings total of 154 and did so in the 10th over of the day’s play, following which Khan hit Steven Sankar for six over midwicket to further strengthen his team’s stranglehold on the match.

Khan got to his half-century shortly after, batting for 110 minutes and facing 108 balls with six fours and one six and at lunch, Demerara were 233 for 3 with Khan on 63 and Singh 48, as they frustrated the Developmental XI bowlers throughout the session, in which they added 99 runs from the 39 overs bowled, while their fourth-wicket partnership stretched to 119.

During the session, Khan struck four more fours to go along with his six, while Singh also got four fours, including a deft dab to third man off his opposite number Steven Jacobs, who used six bowlers in his attempt to dislodge the pair before lunch, but to no avail.

After the break, Singh got his half-century from 152 balls after 165 minutes, with four fours, before Shimron Hetmyer held a sharp reflex catch under the bat at forward short leg, to remove Singh off the bowling of Jacobs for 56.

He added 131 for the fourth wicket with Khan, who saw the quick demise of Barnwell (4) and Zaheer Mohammed (0) at the other end, leaving his side on 256 for 6, with his contribution being 71.

As the wickets fell around him, Khan grew in confidence to move into the 90s where he stayed for close to 35 minutes before unleashing an authoritative extra cover drive off Hemraj to move to 98, pushing his team to 311 for 7 at tea, with Wintz on 9.

Khan got his century with a four past extra cover off Hemraj, his ninth from the 239th delivery he faced while batting for 286 minutes to go along with his solitary six and even though he lost Wintz (10), he was not flustered as he punched Jacobs with authority for his 10th four in the next over.

A thin edge through to wicketkeeper Kemol Savory off Sankar was the downfall of Khan at 337 for 9, with his contribution being 116 scored off 257 balls during his 306-minute sojourn at the wicket, during which time he struck 10 fours and one six, before the innings folded with Jacobs removing Moriah (1), leaving Raj Nannan unbeaten on 7.

At the Demerara Cricket Club ground, Berbice placed themselves in a strong position to claim the title, when they defeated perennial whipping boys Essequibo by nine wickets inside two days, earning for themselves an extra two days off.

Resuming at 130-3 in reply to Essequibo’s first-innings total of 173, Berbice were eventually bowled out for 273, a lead of 100 runs, with their skipper and overnight batsman Narsingh Deonarine falling for 93 (11×4, 3×6) while Jonathan Foo took his overnight 14 to 33 and Romario Shepherd- DeJonge supported with 25.

Hemchand Persaud (3-25), Anthony Adams (2-46), Royan Fredericks (2-67) and Ricardo Adams (2-46) were the successful bowlers for Essequibo, who in their second innings had no answer to the guile and deception of the Ancient County spinners and were routed for a meagre 166.

Losing wickets frequently, Essequibo innings never really looked set to take off and stuttered and stumbled all the way through, as Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, 6 for 34, and Deonarine 3 for 39 destroyed their batting lineup which saw Peters 77 (9×4, 3×6) and Anthony Adams 40 (2×4, 2×6) offer resistance.

Set 67 for victory, Berbice reached 70-1 off 10.3 overs with Kandasammy Surujnarine hitting an unbeaten 45 (6×4, 1×6) and Devon Clements 3. Seon Hetmyer 17 (2×4, 1×6) was the lone wicket to fall for Berbice, bowled by Persaud (1 for 7).

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The Pomeroon Sports Committee donated balls to eight cricket clubs on the Upper and Lower Pomeroon on September 22 at Xenon Hotel Boardroom in Charity.

These balls were purchased for the clubs, using the $50,000 the Pomeroon Area Committee received from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) in July this year. The GCB started a countrywide outreach programme, donating money and necessary materials to the various regions in an effort to develop cricket.

Each of the eight Area Committees in Essequibo received $50,000. Similar donations were also made in Berbice and Linden.

The clubs that received balls from the Upper Pomeroon area were Eagle Sports Club, Rising Sun Sports Club and Jacklow Sports Club. From the Lower Pomerron area, there were Pomeroon Oil Mill from Charity, Tenneze Ferme Sports Club, Friendship Sports club, Super Kings Friendship Sports Club and Scorpion Sports Club.

The distribution was made at the Pomeroon Sports Committee Executive Meeting where the Nobert Alphonso and Hassan Rahim Memorial T20 Cricket Competition was officially launched. The eight clubs that received the balls would be competing in this competition which will commence on September 28.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Fifteen city-based secondary institutions will begin the quest for top honours on Saturday when the Trophy Stall sponsored Senior Secondary School Tapeball cricket competition bowls off as part of activities to celebrate Education Month 2014.

The six-over knockout competition will continue on October 4 and conclude the following day with the final. All matches will be played at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac, with action bowling off at 08:30h on each day.

According to coordinator of the activity, James Lewis, the teams have been divided into five groups of three where they will first play a round-robin format, with the winner of each group advancing to the knockout stage of the inaugural competition.

Group A consists of Charlestown Secondary, St John’s College and Lodge Secondary; Group B comprises Queen’s College, North Ruimveldt Secondary and Dolphin Secondary; Group C is made up of St Mary’s High, South Ruimveldt Secondary and St Stanislaus College; Group D includes North Georgetown Secondary, Brickdam Secondary and Central High; while Group E comprises East Ruimveldt Secondary, Tutorial High and Christ Church Secondary.

“Every midday I would ride around the city and see these youngsters playing in the school yards, so I said why not have a competition? I made contact with the heads and the Games Masters and that’s how things started. Now the players are eager to get bat and ball together,” Lewis responded on how the schools were selected.

Apart from providing an avenue for youngsters to showcase their talents and expend their energies, Lewis said there is a bigger aim of having such a tournament.

“At the end of it, I hope to see these youngsters moving on to represent the country at Under-15 and Under-19 and probably senior level. What I did was contact the administrators of the various clubs to come out and witness the games and see the talents that would be on show,” the Coordinator highlighted.

Lewis said the overall winner will receive the Trophy Stall Cup and medals, while the runner-up school will be presented with medals. The Most Valuable Player and the Player-of-the-Match in the final will also be the recipients of trophies.

Lewis said he is grateful to Trophy Stall for its sponsorship of the event, noting that Managing Director of the business, Ramesh Sunich, has always been an avid supporter of sport.

Meanwhile, team managers are asked to make urgent contact with Coordinator Lewis on 672-6179 or 666-5857.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Guyana Times article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The major cricket clubs on the East Coast of Demerara have banded together to play competitive cricket in the absence of a legitimate association after no elections were held for almost four years.

A press release said the committee has already begun a 40-over competition involving 12 clubs. The winner of the round-robin competition will collect $200,000, while the runner-up will walk away with $100,000. Trophies for the tournament are being donated by Nauth and Sons Motor Spares.

Trophies will go to the winner, runner-up, and Man-of-the-Match for each game, along with other individual prizes.

The former East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) executives had refused to recognise the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB), hence they refused to participate in competitions of DCB, resulting in many players being disenfranchised.

The release said some of the clubs on the East Coast, piloted by Enmore, rescued the young players by organising practice sessions and selecting teams to participate in competitions of the DCB. As a result, players such as Brian Sattaur were able to represent Guyana.

The clubs on the East Coast then wrote to DCB President Rajendra Singh, requesting help and the intervention of the DCB. The clubs complained of no elections being held, members being sidelined from participating in authorised cricket, and denying of the rights of members of the ECCB, among a plethora of complaints, according to the release.

The DCB President pledged his support to the committee and stated “the DCB is here to promote cricket and anyone who share that interest would be supported”.Singh also commented on recent developments in Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) where attempts are being reportedley made to disenfranchise a playing founder member, while non-playing clubs are allowed voting rights.

The committee is chaired by Shameer Shahib, while committee members include Anil Persaud, Jitlal Jawahirlall, Quancy Cummins, Richard Chaturia and Atamdeo Persaud, among others.

First Published In The Guyana Times.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Carib Beer first division T20 round-robin tournament sponsored by Ansa McAl starts tomorrow with five first round matches in three zones, West Berbice, Canje/New Amsterdam/East Bank and Corentyne.

After the preliminary rounds, the top two teams from each zone will advance to the play-offs.

Zone A (West Berbice)

Blairmont Community Centre vs West Berbice @ Blairmont

Bush Lot Rising Star vs D’Edward @ Bush Lot

Zone B (Canje/New Amsterdam/East Bank)

Young Warriors vs Universal Solutions Bermine @ Cumberland

Edinburgh vs Police @ Edinburgh

Zone C (Corentyne)

Port Mourant  vs  Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets @ Port Mourant

Skeldon Community Centre  drew the bye

Matches will commence at 13:30hrs.

Meanwhile, The Guytrac Upper Corentyne /Albion Community Centre match will be played on a later date due to the involvement of both teams in the Berbice Bridge Company 50-overs match tomorrow.

BBC 1st Div. 50-Overs KO semis on this Sunday

The Berbice Bridge Company (BBC) first division 50-overs knock-out cricket competition organised by the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) continues this weekend with one second round match tomorrow and the semi-finals on Sunday.

Tomorrow’s match was postponed from last Sunday will see Albion Community Centre hosting Guytrac Upper Corentyne.

In the semis, Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets will oppose Universal Solutions Bermine at Albion while Port Mourant will host the winner of tomorrow’s match. All of the matches are scheduled to start at 09:30hrs.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Good Success and Sans Souci will play in the final of the Badri Prasad Memorial T20 cricket competition in Wakenaam following victories in their respective semi-final matches Sunday last.

Playing at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground, Good Success defeated Zeelandia by seven wickets. Batting first, Zeelandia scored 133-9, the game being reduced to 18 overs due to a late start.

Ryan Adams top scored with 71 (7×4 5×6), Ricardo Adams made 13. Off-spinner Nazeer Mohamed claimed 3-12 and Vickram Ramnarine 3-35. Good Success responded with 134-3 in 16.2 overs.

Shoaib Namaz cracked 46 (5×4 3×6), Mohamed, Chandrika Ragnauth and Jaggernauth Manbodh supported with 18 apiece. Hemnauth Seeraj snared 2-18.

Sans Souci overcame Maria’s Pleasure by 62 runs in their encounter at the same venue. Sans Souci took first strike and managed 123 all out in 18 overs. Heera Sukram led with 34 and Seon Venture 22; Bernard Lewis captured 4-16.

Maria’s Pleasure were sent packing for 61 in 16.1 overs in reply, Eric Gordon managed 16 as Keddernauth Narain picked up 3-9 and Gurnauth Khemraj 3-18. The final will be played at the same venue on a date to be announced.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Georgetown Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association (GCUSA) is set for November 27 at 17:00hrs at the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), Quamina Street.

Members are asked to note that all motions and resolutions have to be presented to the Secretary at least 28 days before the date of the AGM.

First Published By Kaieteur News.

Guyana Chronicle article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Talented 17-year-old all-rounder Kemo Paul and his national Under-19 teammate Steven Sankar yesterday foiled Demerara’s attempt to mop up the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Developmental XI early, in their second round GCB senior Inter-county four-day matchup at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

Resuming the day on 38 for 5, after starting their second innings in search of 185 to make their opponents bat again, the Developmental XI offered resistance right up to 10 minutes in the extra half-hour taken by Demerara, before they folded at 11:40hrs for 169, to lose by an innings and 16 runs, with Paul hitting 73 and Sankar an unbeaten 33.

Scores: Developmental XI 154 and 169; Demerara 338.

Paul, who resumed the day on 8, shelved his ultra defensive mode that he displayed the previous day, by hitting Raj Nannan for three fours in the second over of the day’s play, pushing his side to 55 for 5 before he lost his overnight partner Kemol Savory (9, 2×4) and Yatesh Dhanpaul (1) in quick succession.

Kellon Carmichael joined Paul who was on 23 at Dhanpaul’s demise with their team 56 for 7 and mixing a solid defence with aggression added 45 for the eighth wicket, as the duo took the attack to the Demerara bowlers.

The 26-year-old Carmichael who had a boundary-studded 20 (5×4), opened his account with a four off Paul Wintz and followed it up with another off the same bowler in his following over, before he hit Demerara’s first-innings centurion and national leg-spinner Amir Khan for a hat-trick of fours in the 29th over.

In-between his exploits, Paul also got a six off Khan over midwicket, before Carmichael holed out to Wintz at long off, in his attempt to hit Khan for his fourth successive four – a shot that was not expected from a player who recently returned from England where he played as a semi-professional.

Enter Sankar to the fray, with which came Paul’s aggressive attitude and he (Paul ) took the attack to the bowlers, hitting Khan for his second six to post his 50 from 70 balls with six fours and two sixes while batting for 110 minutes, following which he hit Khan for another four to wide long on.

With Sankar being content to play the supporting role, Paul took the attack to the Demerara bowlers, walking down the wicket to Wintz and hitting him through mid-off with ease for his ninth four, followed by another through extra cover.

At the other end, Sankar joined the party with a four of his own, off Wintz, before Zaheer Mohammed induced Paul to hole out to Khan at long on for 73 which took him 88 balls to accumulate as he batted for 185 minutes while hitting 10 fours and two sixes.

After Paul’s dismissal, Sankar shelved his defensive attitude and went into overdrive with three fours in two overs off Wintz, before Khan closed off the innings by trapping Niall Smith lbw for 2 at 11:40hrs, leaving Sankar unbeaten at the other end on 33 (57 balls, 4×4).

Despite going for a flurry of runs as the Developmental XI’s last five wickets added 131 from the 29.4 overs sent down by Demerara, Paul ended with 4 for 69, Khan 2 for 33 while there was a wicket each for Mohammed, Nannan, Christopher Barnwell and Gavin Moriah, who was only used for three overs.

Following today’s rest day and two more tomorrow and Monday, the third and final round will commence on Tuesday with Demerara facing Essequibo at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground while Berbice and GCB Developmental XI will do battle at Wales.

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.

Guyana Chronicle article.

Georgetown, Guyana - First Division cricketers in the Ancient County of Berbice are in for a busy weekend from today, as several matches in two different competitions are scheduled for the next two days, including the Berbice Cricket Board/Berbice River Bridge Company 50 overs semifinals.

The action will commence today with the opening round of matches in the BCB/Ansa McAl Limited Carib Beer T20 competition, with five first-round matches.

This competition will be played on a round-robin basis in three zones, namely West Berbice, Canje/New Amsterdam/East Bank and Corentyne and after the preliminary rounds the top two teams from each zone will advance to the play-offs.

In the West Berbice zone, Blairmont Community Centre will take on West Berbice at Blairmont and Bush Lot Rising Star will tackle D’Edward at Bush Lot, while in the Canje/New Amsterdam/East Bank zone, Young Warriors are down to play Universal Solutions Bermine at Cumberland and Edinburgh will have home advantage against Police.

In the Corentyne zone, Port Mourant will trade skills with Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets at Port Mourant, while the boys from Skeldon have drawn the bye. All matches are scheduled to start at 13:30hrs.

Also on for today is the second round BCB/BRBC 50 overs-a-side fixture wherein Albion will be hosting GuyTrac Upper Corentyne at Albion in a rescheduled fixture, with the winner playing Port Mourant at Port Mourant tomorrow in one semifinal, while the other semifinal will pit RHT Gizmos and Gadgets against Universal Solutions Bermine at Albion.

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.

Guyana Chronicle article.

Georgetown, Guyana - The second and final Dhaka Bank Test match between the West Indies and Bangladesh saw not only dependable West Indies middle-order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul surpass the late Sir Donald Bradman with the number of Test centuries scored, but also Chanderpaul’s Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) teammate Leon Rayon Johnson.

The left-handed Johnson, a former West Indies Under-19 and present captain of Guyana’s senior team, became the 48th Test player from the Land of Many Waters to wear the maroon cap in a game the West Indies were playing for the 500th time, making him the 300th Test player in the process.

In recognition of this remarkable achievement, the executive members of the renowned GCC, which is the oldest club in the Caribbean at 156 years old, last night honoured Johnson who leaves this morning for Barbados before going on to India with the West Indies team, for his ascendancy to the Test team..

Present at the function were GCC executives including the club’s president Dr Lionel Jaikarran, secretary of Guyana Cricket Board Anand Sanasie and Marketing Manager Raj Singh, Retired Chancellor of the Judiciary Cecil Kennard and other special invitees and club members.

In his feature remarks, Jaikarran reminisced on the days when the 27-year-old Johnson, as a 12-year-old back then, joined the club in 2000 under the tutelage of coach Harold Dhanraj, from where he went on to play for Guyana at the Under-15 level.

“His early career would have seen him play for the national Under-15 team, from where he went on to play for the senior team as a 16-year-old, following which he captained Guyana and West Indies Under-19 teams in 2006.

Johnson later played for the West Indies ODI team in 2008, captained Guyana’s senior team this year and recently opened the batting for the West Indies in the second Dhaka Bank Test match against Bangladesh in St Lucia a couple weeks ago,” said Jaikarran.

He continued, “Today at the age of 27, Leon is embarking on a new journey and what an honour it is for the GCC that Leon joins the long list of distinguished cricketers such as Kenny Wishart, Steven Camacho, Alvin Kallicharran, Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Reon King, Neil McGarrell and the late Ivor Mendonca,, just to name a few.”

“Leon, you were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self and to do it courageously, so know this, my friend, when you walk out on the ground thousands of miles away from your club, you may feel alone, cherish the thought we will be watching you, rubbing the sleep out of our eyes at 03:00hrs, cheering every stroke you play and crying blood when the call goes against you, but we will be proud as a peacock when you make your maiden ton.”

Jaikarran, along with former club president Paul Chan-a-Sue, Richard Jodha on behalf of Les Ramalho and Vishaul ‘Cheesy’ Singh, all echoed words of encouragement to the left-handed batsman, who in his acknowledgement speech, gave heartfelt thanks, before he was named a Honorary member of the Club.

First Published In The Guyana Chronicle.

Kaieteur News article.

Georgetown, Guyana - Action in the H. Nauth and Sons sponsored East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) T20 Cricket Competition commenced last Sunday in two zones on the East Coast of Demerara.

In the Upper East Coast Zone in the game at the Strathavon Community Centre Ground, Bravados beat Dundee by 9 wickets, while Strathavon got a walk over, from Avish Auto Sales who failed to show up.

Dundee won the toss and batted first scoring 52 runs all out from nine overs. Bowling for Bravados Earl Gilkes took 3-2 and Seon Simpson 2-5. Bravados in reply made 53-2 from 4.1 overs. Earl Gilkes made 44.

At Helena 1 & 2 Community Centre Ground, Perseverance got the better of Mahaica Sports Club by 15 runs while Helena 1 & 2 beat Unity Cricket Club by 51 runs.

Mahaica won the toss and elected the field. Perseverance made 131 runs for 9 from their allotted 20 overs with Olester Bourne top-scoring with 27, Orlando Kirton making 22 and Raphael Persaud hitting 18.

Suresh Singh took 2-24 for Mahaica, who replied made 117 runs for 7 from their 20 overs with Imran Ali making 28 and Navin Shaw getting 24. Bowling for Perseverance, Deswayne Butts had 2-6 and Orlando Kirton 2-24.

In match two, Helena 1 & 2 won the toss and batted first and made 153 for 6 from 20 overs with Darho Persaud leading the way with 40. Satesh Mohan made 29 and Sunil Kissoon 27. Bowling for Unity Krishna Persaud grabbed 2-33. Unity in reply made 103 all out from 19.2with Vishaul Arioon scoring 34 and Navin Lambi making 23.

In the Lower East Coast Zone at Ogle Community Centre Ground Ogle-Blue beat Mon Repos ‘A’ by 192 runs.

Mon Repos (A) won the toss and invite Ogle Blue to bat and they made 237 runs for 3 from their 20 overs. Irfan Ali hammered 91and got support from Soopaul Sanichar who made 33, Anand Persaud with 30 and Khemraj Dindyal 28. Bowling for Mon Repos ‘A’ Alvin Persaud took 2-28. Mon Repos ‘A’ in reply made 46 all out form 17.1 overs with Sumindra Ramsingh 3-15, Anand Persaud 2-1, Soopaul Sanichar 1-1 and Under-13 player Michael Pooran 1-12.

Match two (2) Ogle (Red) VS LBI

Ogle (Red) won the toss and elected to bat, made 117 all out form 18.1 overs Khemraj Jaikaran 44 4×4 1×6 Davendra Ramtalall 14 2×4. Bowling for LBI, Navindra Kishur 4-0-27-3 and Satesh Jaikaran 2-0-11-2, bowled well. LBI in reply made 120 runs for 2 from 15 overs. Parmanand Rampersaud made 39 not out. Ricahrd Dowlatram 42 not out LBI won by 8 wickets.

At Better Hope Community Centre Ground

Match One (1) Better Hope (B) VS Lions XI.

Better Hope (B) won by walk over from Lions XI who did not show up.

Match (2) Better Hope (A) VS Buxton (A) won the toss and made 157 run for 7 from their 20 overs. Wayne Narine 36, Navin Singh 23 and Azar Mohamed 20 as John Farrell (4-0-19-4) and Marlon Cole (4-0-11-2) being the main wicket takers.

Buxton in reply made 119 all out from 19.2 overs with Ronald Gibson 50 and Tim Hutton 24. Bowling for Better Hope (A) Nazir Khan took 4-0-19-2, Suresh Budhu 4-0-15-2 and Rasheed Rohaman 4-0-22-2. Better Hope (A) won by 39 runs.

At Enterprise Community Centre Ground

Match One (1) Enterprise (B) VS Golden Grove.

Enterprise won the toss and asked Golden Grove to bat first, Golden Grove made 139 runs for 9 from their 20 overs. Serfeen Rutherford made 38 runs and Kishan Da Silva 19. Videsh Lall had figures of 4-0-27-3.

Enterprise ‘B’ in reply made 124 runs for 9 from 20 overs. Rohan Mangal made 32 runs, Kamesh Yadram 19 and Prakash Dindyal 18. Bowling for Golden Grove Serfeen Rutherford had 4-0-18-2 and Darren Skeet 4-0-25-2. Golden Grove won by 9 runs.

Match Two (2) Enterprise (A) VS Lusignan (A)

Lusignan (A) won the toss and batted first making 92 runs all out from 18.2 overs, Sumnauth Bharrat made 31 and Vishnu Ramjit 21.Bowling for Enterprise (A) with Sunil Ramkumar 4-0-23-3 and Rafeek Khan 4-1-13-2 doing the damage. Enterprise in reply made 55 for 9 from their 20 overs. Bowling for Lusignan ‘A’ was Kumar Bishundyal 4-1-10-3 and Gajanand Sukhanand 4-0-17-2 and Rajendra Naikbaran 4-1-4-2. Lusignan (A) winning by 38 runs.

The Competition continues tomorrow with Buxton ‘B’ facing Mon Repos ‘B’ at the Lusignan Community Centre Ground from 10.00hrs, Lusignan ‘B’ facing Plaisance at Lusignan Community Centre Ground from 13.30hrs, Perseverance opposing Bravado at Helena 1 & 2 Community Centre Ground from 10.00hrs and Helena 1 & 2 taking on Strathaven at Helena 1 & 2 at the Community Centre Ground from 13.30hrs.

Meanwhile, the First Semi-finals in the East Coast Trophy 40 overs Competition is fixed for tomorrow, 28th September, with Ogle Cricket Club taking on Enterprise Cricket club at Ogle Community Center Ground.

First Published By Kaieteur News.