Guyana to host 2 regional cricket tournaments this year

Jul 03, 2009 Sports

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GCB will not sanction private 20/20 tournaments

By Sean Devers
The second half of 2009 will be a busy one for cricket in Guyana since two regional tournaments and a 20/20 cricket festival will be hosted by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).  The GCB updated the media yesterday on several plans to take cricket in Guyana forward and emphatically stated the governing body for cricket in Guyana will not sanction any private 20/20 competition.
Speaking at the GCB Secretariat at Bourda, GCB head Chetram Singh informed that the 8-team Regional senior Woman’s competition is slated for Guyana from August 13-24 before the regional Men’s senior 50-overs competition begins in late October.
The GCB will also host a 2-day 20/20 cricket festival at the Guyana National Stadium on August 21 & 22 which involves host Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and a Guyana USA team.
Singh explained that the first day of the 20/20 festival will see two matches being played (the last one under lights) and tickets will cost $1,000 while fans will have to pay $1,500 on the last day when an entertainment package involving International artists including Bajan Soca performer Rupee will be held after the final.
Three million Guyana dollars will be up for grabs in this competition and an 8-team inter area 20/20 tournament will be played on August 8, 15 and 21 to help select the Guyana team.  Line-ups from Corentyne, Canje, New Amsterdam, East Coast Demerara, Georgetown ‘A’, Georgetown ‘B’ East Bank/West Demerara and Essequibo will participate in this competition which will have lucrative prize money according to the GCB.
It was disclosed that 15 games will be played in the regional Women’s competition which will be divided into two zones with 6 matches in each zone leading up the ‘final four’ stage.   Jamaica face Barbados and St Lucia take on Dominica in the opening games on August 15 while host Guyana go into action the next day when they face Trinidad and Tobago.  St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada are the other teams in the competition.
Seven teams are currently listed to play in the regional 50-over competition which was originally scheduled to commence on October 13. Singh explained that because regional 20/20 champions Trinidad and Tobago will represent the Caribbean in the World club 20/20 championship in Indian from October 7, the regional tournament has been pushed back to accommodate the Twin Island Republic side.
Singh also said that the Ministry of Sport in collaboration with the GCB will stage a Cricket Academy at the Providence Stadium from July 13 to August 7 and will cater for the 20 Under-15 players who were encamped as Guyana prepared for the last regional Under-15 competition plus 5 more players to be selected by the GCB.
The GCB stressed that while they will not sanction any private 20/20 competition they can only discourage national players from participating since they have no contractual agreement with the local players.
Singh added that only competitions for charity purposes will be endorsed by the GCB and said that consideration will be given to any Organization or individual who wants to partner with the GCB to stage a 20/20 tournament.
Board PRO Terry Holder said the GCB is the guardian of Guyana’s cricket and have to protect their investment in the sport here.
According to the GCB, the DJ Stress competition which is slated for Berbice on Sunday has not been sanctioned by the GCB and all national players should be discouraged to participate in the event.
“In the case of national Under-19 player Jonathon Foo, he will not be allowed to play even though he would have broken camp since he is expected to travel to Jamaica on Tuesday for the regional Under-19 series. We cannot risk him playing in a competition like this especially since the lights might not be as good as required for such an event,” Singh said.
GCB Vice-President Bissoon Singh said that both the Demerara and Essequibo Cricket Boards have refused to participate in the DJ Stress competition in support of the GCB’s position on private 20/20 cricket. It was also felt by the GCB that while the organisers of this event have said two charities will benefit, the main aim of the competition appears to be a commercial one.
The Berbice Cricket Board has however sanctioned the competition which is slated for the Albion ground and a BCB official yesterday told Kaieteur Sport that the BCB has been promised $100,000 for endorsing the well published event in Region 6.
The GCB also announced that the 4-team competition which replaced the senior inter-county tournament this year proved unsuccessful with 42 players being picked by the national selectors and divided into teams.
“We have reverted to the three county sides participating but we have included a Rest team made up of the players who just missed out on selection for their counties and promising Under-19 players. Six games will be played with each team playing each other once after which a national squad will be selected,” Singh disclosed.
This competition is fixed for early October and no national trials will be held for the regional tournament.

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