Guyana team for Barbados to be picked today : Preparations on track for U-19 hat-trick

Jun 20, 2008 Sports

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By Sean Devers
Guyana, the region’s most successful under-19 three-day team with 13 titles aim to achieve their third hat-trick of titles this year in Barbados and the 14-man squad which will begin their title defence against the Leeward Islands on July 4 will be selected today.

The South Americans, under the captaincy of West Indies under-19 Vice-Captain Steven Jacobs regained their three-day crown on home soil in 2006 and successfully defended it last year in St Kitts before losing the One-Day final to Jamaica and all of the five surviving members the 2007 unit should be in this year’s team.

The three-man junior selection panel headed by Lennox Hunte will today name the team and recommend a Captain for this year’s TCL tournament which runs from July 4 to August 2.

Eugene LaFluer who is now recovered from a groin injury which forced him to miss most of the trial matches, Seon Hetmyer, Jonathon Foo, Totaram Bishun and Leon Scott are the players eligible from last year and the level head LaFluer is tipped to be named as Skipper with Essequibo opener and former Guyana under-15 player Royan Fredericks as his deputy.

Scott, the spearhead of the bowling attack, could have the genuinely fast 16-year-old Kevon Joseph as his new ball partner in what would be Guyana’s most potent fast bowling pair in recent times.

With Keon Fraser and fast bowling all-rounder Dilon Heyliger also in contention for selection, this is the most impressive crop of pacers since the 1987 when Barrington Browne, Linden Joseph, Colwin Cort and David Fingal played together in Jamaica.

The 20-man squad will be encamped in Georgetown until June 28 and practiced yesterday at the Guyana National Stadium.

Left-arm back-of-the hand spinner Bishun is expected to trouble the region’s young batsmen on pitches which will provide more bounce and pace than the placid tracks in Guyana. He should receive spin support from wily off-spinner Steven Latcha, leg-spinning all-rounder Foo and left-arm spinner LaFluer.

Anthony Bramble should be selected as the Keeper, while with all of the batsmen in the training squad capable contributing at this level the selector’s task is not an easy one.

Hetmyer is one of the few young batsmen willing to use his feet to the spinners and is arguable the best batsmen in the squad while Fredericks is also expected to give Guyana good starts at the top of the order.

Manager Alvin Johnson said that despite the adverse weather, preparations are on track and disclosed that the planned three-day practice match scheduled to commence today has been put on hold due to the recent rain.

He added that a One-Day game is planned for Bourda either tomorrow or Sunday as Guyana, who captured an unprecedented six consecutive titles from 1992, goes for three in a row.

Guyana won a hat-trick of titles at this level on three previous occasions. Timour Mohamed led the South Americans to victory in 1974 in Guyana, 1975 in Barbados and again on home soil in 1978 while Andre Percival captained the Guyanese to titles in 1992 in Guyana, 1993 in St Kitts and 1994 in Barbados.

Guyana also won tiles under Mahendra Nagamootoo in Grenada in 1995, Vishal Nagamootoo the next year in Jamaica and Ramnaresh Sarwan at home in 1997.

Johnson who has managed the team since 2004, explained that he is hoping to get as much fast bowlers as possible to play in the two planned practice matches before the team departs Guyana on July 2 since playing the fast bouncing ball on overseas pitches has been one of the problematic areas for his team in the past.

He said the excellent drainage at the Stadium has been major advantage during this rainy season and said he is hoping that a practice game could be held there before the team leaves for Barbados.

“We cannot use the Stadium this week because of the World Cup Qualifying football match there on Sunday between Guyana and Suriname. We have no problems with this since the ground is being used for another national team playing an important match,” Johnson said.

He said that it is nice to have such an important football match at Guyana’s best venue and encouraged all Guyana to support their football team as they aim to give Guyana glory in football.

“I noticed that the pitch will be at center field and I hope that it is not affected too much by the footballers but this is a national team and I am sure the boys are working really hard to do well and we must support team all the way.

Once you are wearing your national colors you become sporting ambassadors and the entire nation is proud when Guyana is successful,” Johnson added.

He said that while his team will have a match on that day and will not be able to be at the football he wished the team well and promised that the entire Guyana under-19 cricket team will be hoping that the Golden Jaguars could claw their way to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

The probable 14-man squad-: Eugene La Fluer (Captain), Royan Fredericks (V/Capt), Trevon Griffith, Jeetendra Sookdeo, Seon Hetmyer, Jonathan Foo, Ballinder Shivpersaud, Anthony Bramble, Dilon Heliger, Steven Latcha, Kevon Joseph, Totaram Bishun, Leon Scott, Keon Fraser.
Stand-bys:- Royston Alkins, Sahadeo Somai, Denver Greaves, Amir Khan, Michael Felix, Alex Amsterdam.

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