Barnwell, Singh omitted from Guyana 13-man squad

Dec 15, 2009 Sports

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Benn is first Police player selected since 1994

Twenty-six year old Essequibo fast bowler Trevor Benn became the first Police player to gain selection on a Guyana 1st class team since pacer Mark Burnette played his solitary match against the Leeward Islands at Blairmont in February 1994.
The hyper-active Benn is the only uncapped player in the Guyana 13-man squad for next year’s Regional 1st class 4-day competition.
The selection panel headed by Chairman Claude Raphael yesterday named the touring squad for Guyana’s first game against Trinidad and Tobago from January 12-15 in St Kitts in next year’s shortened Regional First-Class season.
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is still to release the 2010 fixtures but a WICB source had told Kaieteur News that Guyana will draw a bye in the opening round before playing their first match in St Kitts.
It was also disclosed that the South Americans then travel to Barbados to battle Jamaica from 22-25 and the Windward Islands from January 29 to February 1. It is understood that Guyana will return home to face Barbados from February 12-15 before playing the Leewards in Trinidad from February 19-22,
The Guyanese, without a regional first class title since Carl Hooper led them to the Busta International Shield

in 2002, are slated to clash with CCC in St Lucia in their final match from February 26-29.
The team was selected at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall yesterday where the players were involved in a training session and Ramnaresh Sarwan (who along with Shiv Chanderpaul, Narsingh Dowlin and Travis Dowlin, are in Australia) have all been included.
Sarwan has been recommended Skipper and out of form Test left-hander Sewnarine Chattergoon as his deputy in a squad in which Chattergoon is the only specialist opener named. It is understood that the 32-year-old Dowlin, who scored Test fifties against Bangladesh and Australia in his 3-match career so far, will open the batting with Chattergoon.
The touring party was picked after the selectors had named a 21-man training squad which included the 4 Guyanese in Australia and after the 17 other players were involved in rigorous physical fitness work and ‘nets’ at the Guyana National Stadium last week.
The remaining eight players in the 21-man training squad have been named on the stand-by list and will continue to train with those selected to travel to St Kitts.
Benn, the hyper-active pacer bowled well for Essequibo in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) 4-day competition and has also done well in the Georgetown division one cricket and has been one of the fittest players in the training squad.

The squad was picked mainly from performances in the GCB 4-day competition and the training sessions and the players will break camp next week for Christmas before returning to the City in the first week of next year.
Because of the availability of the Test quartet in the middle order for at least the opening game, in-form left-hander Vishal Singh who played in Guyana’s last 1st class game this year and utility player Chris Barnwell have both failed to retain their places.
Raphael said appropriate adjustments will be made when it is clearly ascertained from the West Indies selectors, which of the senior players will be required to do further duties with the regional team for the ODI and 20/20 series in Australia.
The West Indies team is expected home just before Christmas since the third and final Test which starts tonight (Caribbean time) ends this weekend while the ODI team should leave January month end for the One-Day and 20/20 series in Australia from February 4-23.
Chanderpaul, Sarwan, Deonarine and Dowlin should be available for Guyana’s first 2 regional first-class games even if they are retained in the West Indies ODI squad and Raphael said that once they are also available for the matches in Barbados they will be selected.
It is not clear why the official fixtures are being withheld since at a time when the cash-strapped WICB is hoping to encourage more crowds to attend regional cricket.
It is also understood that Guyana will play one match under lights with pink balls, as for the first time ever in regional first class cricket, some matches will commence at 13:00hrs and conclude at 20:00hrs.
Guyana Squad:- Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Esuan Crandon, Veerasammy Permaul, Davendra Bishoo, Chris Barnwell, Brandon Bess, Derwin Christian, Trevor Benn.
Stand-bys:-Vishal Singh, Rajendra Chandrika, Gajanand Singh, Anthony Bramble, Christopher Barnwell, Deon Ferrier, Keon Joseph, Andre Stoll.

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