Guyana’s premier cricket venue to host inaugural night cricket

Sep 20, 2008 Sports

El Dorado Inter County final set to light up Providence Stadium

on October 3

By Sean Devers
Built with funding from the Indian Government to facilitate Guyana’s hosting of matches in last year’s ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, the Guyana National Stadium at Providence is set to host its inaugural cricket match under flood lights when action in the El Dorado senior Inter-County 50-overs final is expected to light up the Stadium on October 3.

Since the lights were installed Music lovers have had the chance to revel on the outfield of the region’s 10th Test venue at several high energy concerts during the CARIFESTA period, while football fans have also had the opportunity of watching football under lights at arguable the fastest drying cricket ground in the West Indies.

Now cricket fans will have a chance to flock to the Stadium to see the first ever ‘official’ night cricket match in Guyana.

With the Anna Regina ground, at which Stanford 20/20 funding was used to improve the Region Two facility, no longer being used to host the Essequibo/Demerara game, Essequibo fans will again be denied the opportunity of seeing high level cricket in their own backyard.

But with the prospects of saying ‘I was there for Guyana’s first official night cricket match’ many Essequibans could be among what is anticipated to be a massive crowd at the Stadium on October 3.

The El Dorado competition bowls off on Friday at Guyana’s first Test venue Bourda when defending champions Demerara begin their 2008 campaign against Essequibo, the only team in the history of the tournament not to have claimed championship honours.

Arch-rivals Berbice and Demerara then clash on Saturday at Blairmont in West Berbice in what could be a contest involving the two teams in the final while Essequibo and Berbice square-off in the final preliminary round game at Wales on Sunday.

Demerara and Berbice will both be hoping to return to Providence for their second consecutive final after Demerara, led by half-centuries from Ramnaresh Sarwan and Travis Dowlin and some pugnacious hitting in the closing stages from Derwin Christian, successfully defended their title in the competition’s first final at the Stadium.

Without the services of Sarwan and Dowlin who are both in Antigua preparing for much bigger things, Demerara could depend a lot on Guyana’s newest West Indies player Leon Johnson to give them a historic victory on what should be a memorable night for cricket in Guyana.

However, if Essequibo, who are more competitive in the short version of the game, could spring a major upset and reach the final and win it, the history writers will have a field day documenting what could very well be Guyana’s most attended local cricket match.

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