Regional Women’s semis today at Everest & DCC

Aug 22, 2009 Sports

---

But is the Board really interested in Women’s cricket?

Asks Sean Devers
Defending champions Jamaica face off with St Vincent at Everest and Trinidad and Tobago battle Barbados at DCC in today’s semi-finals of the Regional Women’s 50 overs cricket competition in Guyana.
Jamaica and T&T, both unbeaten in their respective zones, are anticipated to advance to tomorrow’s final at Bourda, but pulsating cricket is expected today as the four top women’s teams aim for championship honors.
Although female cricket got a gigantic boost when their matches in the last 20/20 World Cup in England were played on the same day with the men’s games and benefited from the same television coverage from the semi-final stage, the WICB and the regional media seem not have fully embraced the importance of this regional tournament.
The ladies from the 8 competing teams have shown lots of enthusiasm and talent while the crowd support has been bigger than most of the Regional first-class matches this season.
Mandated by the ICC to manage Women’s cricket in the Caribbean and Guyana, the WICB has strangely limited the number of matches for each team to just 3 preliminary games instead of using a round-robin format even as the regional selectors are expected to name a West Indies squad for the ODI and 20/20 Women’s tour to South Africa from early October.
The teams that reach the final will play a maximum of 5 games and with most of the girls from around the Islands not as exposed to much match practice, one would have thought that allowing each team to play each other would have been better preparation for the selection of the West Indies squad.
The WICB will argue as usual, that lack of funds forced them to limit the number of matches which robbed the competition of being used as a proper developmental tool.
Guyana is the cheapest country to host regional cricket tournaments and if the WICB cannot find sponsors or funds to properly develop the game in the region then maybe the present executives should hand over the mantle to others who will be hard pressed to do worse.
It is hard to believe that the players in this tournament are being paid a stipend of just US$ 100 for the entire competition (the same amount paid to the regional under-19 players for the last 2 decades). These are grown women with children and the poor image of the WICB is preventing many business entities from being associated with them as sponsors which is hurting the development of the game in the region.
Judging from what transpired in the last game between Guyana and Grenada in Berbcie when not even a physiotherapist was present, it seems very few people care.
Guyana Coach Michael Hyles (one of the few who still demonstrate a committed effort to trying to uplift the game locally) lamented about the lack of proper preparation for his team which had no practice match after the team was selected.
He also complained that his girls were prevented from using their own batting pads because they were white and had to use new and ‘stiff’ pads which were painted by the GCB while other teams were allowed to play with white pads although the regulations of the tournament mandated that colored pads be used.
These breaches of regulations (and as was seen in the last-minute changes in the regional U-19 series in Jamaica) are not uncommon in WICB competitions.
With West Indies cricket on its ‘death bed’ many have given up all hope. Even once ardent fans now show little interest in the circus called West Indies cricket.
The WICB implemented that due to stress on their bodies, under-19 fast bowlers could not bowl more than 6 consecutive overs in regional under-19 cricket (this was however overturned by some Managers for the last u-19 One-Day series) yet under-19 girls who most times are weaker than their male counterparts of the same age, are not restricted from bowling more than 6 overs in this women’s competition.
The fact that in one of its worst 2 years ever for cricket in the West Indies the WICB President and Vice President were re-elected unopposed ‘to be given more time to complete their work’ emphasizes the hopelessness of the situation.
With the mediation process involving Sir Shridath Ramphal going ‘nowhere’ one wonders if the WICB (who claim the players are ‘all about money) will inform the public that the WICB has a problem regarding payment to Sir Shridath for his time and work as mediator.
Even with Guyana’s President Bharat Jagdeo saying how important West Indies cricket is to our region the only radio station in Guyana (the state owned NCN) has showed little interest in covering the Regional Women’s competition with even live 2-minute daily reports.
Maybe Guyana needs another radio station that will show more interest in our national sport and the West Indies people need a new board which will do likewise.
Maybe someday… sometime… these things will happen. But for now cricket fans should start looking for another interest since West Indies and Guyana’s cricket is in a coma and those in charge seem to be lining up to pull the plug.
Thanks to the Jamaica athletes for keeping Caribbean sports pride alive at a time when Guyana has lost every regional cricket tournament this year.
The politics, selfishness, lack of funds, facilities and the disregard for the talented youngsters by those responsible for developing sports in Guyana is heartbreaking.
Unless there is an urgent change in personnel and attitude, Guyanese will continue to depend on our Caribbean counterparts to provide us with sporting glory as our dear land head towards becoming a failed state in almost everything.

---

---