Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 01, 2009 Sports
By Sean Devers
Guyana failed to win any regional competition this year and with the Guyana Cricket Board pre-elections politics not doing any good for the image and development of the game towards the end of the year, 2008 was a disappointing year for Guyana’s cricket.
While the performance of our national teams at all levels left much to be desired and the public verbal battles in the media among various cricket officials contributed to the lack of spectator interest, the Guyana Cricket Board must be commended for ‘stepping up’ to host the unsponsored regional one-day competition which had a record nine teams involved. Guyana also hosted the Guyana leg of the CLICO International under-15 competition and the historic inaugural Test at the Guyana national Stadium between West Indies and Sri Lanka in March.
The national secondary schools cricket competition again suffered from the lack of coaching in schools and the general standard of play was very low. It is hoped that the GCB, the Sports Ministry and the Ministry of Education can devise a better system to prepare the students for competition or else it will be just another competition run off which provides no real benefits for the players.
The concept to disband the annual senior four-day inter-county competition was welcomed since the Essequibo team (due to various reasons) continued to waste time and money participating in the three-team tournament.
However, the new format of naming three teams proved very ineffective and a waste of the GCB’s limited finance. It is hoped that next year the GCB look at having Demerara, Berbice, a national under-19 team and a 14-man Rest squad (made up of the seven best Essequibo players and the reserves from Demerara and Berbice) participate in a round-robin ‘double round’ three-day competition.
The magnificent drainage system and the availability of the Guyana national Stadium went a long way in ensuring much more cricket was played during the rainy season than in the past and the Guyana Government must be praised for providing the use of the facility for Guyana’s cricketers during 2008. The installation of the flood lights at the nation’s most modern cricket venue which allowed the regional one-day final to be played under lights, was also a high point for cricket locally in 2008.
The construction of a $35 million Hostel and indoor cricket facility commenced on the Essequibo Coast and this project should be completed by early next year. Another $90 million has been earmarked for the construction of similar facilities in Demerara and Berbice and it is understood that these projects have been delayed due to the time being taken by GUYSUCO to complete the paper work.
The year ended on a sour note for cricket as campaigning for the GCB Presidency intensified. It is understood that incumbent Chetram Singh, who has been at the helm since 1992, is being encouraged by Guyana’s Director of Sport among others to run for another two-year term. Essequibo Cricket Board President Alvin Johnson and Georgetown Cricket Association head Bish Panday are the other names being mentioned in the race at the January 26 elections.
Cricket in Essequibo again suffered from lack of proper competitions due to financial woes while the level of cricket on the field in Berbice was not what is was in previous years.
Demerara’s cricket was marred by politics. DCB President Bissoon Singh seems to be a good businessman with a fair practical knowledge of cricket but he has lost points among those genuinely interested in the development of cricket with his baffling decision to appoint Preitpaul Jaigobin (who has no cricketing background) to head the county’s selection panel.
The elevation by Guyanese Shivnarine Chanderpaul to top ranked Test batsman and ICC cricketer of the year (2007/08) was this country’s biggest achievement for this year and not surprisingly the left-hander from Unity on the East Coast of Demerara was also named Guyana’s Cricketer of the year. By the sheer weight of his runs and his dedicated approach to batting Chanderpaul, is a great example for young batsmen all over the world who aspire to occupy the crease, never gave away their wickets and score runs consistently at the Test level. It is hoped that the 34-year-old who now resides in Miami, is given a national award for this contribution to Guyana’s image as a sportsman.
While the Guyana women’s team also failed to win any silver ware this year, Berbice pacer Erva Giddings was the only Guyanese selected on the West Indies Woman’s team which toured Sri Lanka.
On the field, Guyana opted to blood young players for the Carib Beer first-class competition and without several senior players, finished in the penultimate position after failing to gain a single point in their first three away matches.
While Ramnaresh Sarwan led from the front with the bat, senior players Narsingh Deonarine and Travis Dowlin failed to make meaningful contributions while the talented Gajanand Singh was surprisingly dropped when the team returned home after playing just two matches. This was after the middle order left-hander was asked to open when the experiment of using Dowlin at the top of the order blew up in the selectors’ faces.
Leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo and pacer Brandon Bess made impressive starts to their first class careers in 2008. Guyana, despite impressive bowling from leg-spinner and Guyana’s Junior Cricketer of the Year Amir Khan (who was selected on the West Indies under-15 team), also failed to make an impression in the CLICO regional under-15 in Dominica in March, while defending champions Guyana failed to successfully defend their regional under-19 three-day title or win the one-day crown as a lack of mental strength and the inability to perform under pressure took its toll on the young Guyanese in Barbados in July.
The Guyana under-17 team also failed to win the regional 50-overs under-17 tournament in Trinidad in December as again the lack of mental preparation affected the talented but inconsistent youngsters.
The national Female team was also not able to win the regional Women’s tournament held in St Lucia in August but three Guyanese, Giddings, Joann Vansertima and Zaheeda Samdally were named in a 30-person training squad which will assemble in Barbados later this month to vie for selection on the West Indies Women’s team which will tour Australia later in the year.
After winning the inaugural Stanford 20/20 regional competition, Guyana lost to Jamaica in the 2008 semi-final in Antigua although the versatile Lennox Cush took the competitions’ first hat-trick. Along with the Test pair of Chanderpaul and Sarwan, Cush and Travis Dowlin were the other Guyanese selected in the 17-man Stanford Super squad which beat England for an unprecedented US$20 million in Antigua.
Guyana’s biggest disappointment was their inability to reach the semi-finals of the Regional one-day series on home soil in November. This was only the second time in over a decade that Guyana did not reach the ‘final four’ and the lack of focus and fitness was blamed for Guyana’s poor showing.
On the domestic front, City team Malteenoes defeated host Albion to capture the national Carib/Pepsi 20/20 first division club title while Berbice side Young Warriors beat DCC in the Neal and Massy national 40-overs first division under flood lights at the Guyana national stadium.
At the inter-county level, Demerara played unbeaten to win the Castrol under-15 two-day Inter-County competition. Demerara beat both Berbice and Essequibo to take the CLICO Inter-County under-17 two-day tournament, while Berbice took the GTM under-19 three-day Inter County championship.
In the historic El Dorado Inter-County 50 overs final under lights at the Stadium, defending champions Demerara beat Berbice to take their fourth consecutive title at this level.
Berbice emerged winners in the junior female Inter-County 40-overs competition while Demerara retained the senior female Inter-County 40 overs tournament.
The year ended with the Dowlin led national first-class squad, with new comers Shemroy Barrington and Chris Barnwell, beginning preparations for the 2009 Carib Beer series which begins on January 9.
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