‘Reds’ stresses importance of history and Guyana’s cricket at GCB Awards ceremony

Dec 16, 2011 Sports

The annual Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Awards ceremony took place at the

The Awardees with their hardware after Wednesday’s night GCB Annual Awards Ceremony at the Umana Yana.

Umana Yana and Guyanese International radio broadcaster Joseph ‘Reds’ Pereira spoke about the importance of history and the need for unity among local cricket Administrators during the feature address.
West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo was named Male Guyana cricketer of the year, while West Indies fast bowler Sabrina Munroe took the award for the country’s female cricketer of the year.
President of the GCB Ramsay Ali provided an overview of Guyana’s cricket in 2011 and told the gathering, which including most members of the Guyana t20 team, that a comprehensive National School Cricket programme and the introduction of a professional league will be done next year in an effort to improve the ailing standard of Guyana’s cricket.
Director of Sports and parliamentarian Neil Kumar, who was scheduled to deliver an address, failed to attend the ceremony, while GCB Secretary and WICB Director, Anand Sanasie, provided the closing remarks.
Reds, Guyana’s most experienced cricket Broadcaster, lamented the need to show more importance to the history of Guyana’s cricket and to honour some of the past Guyanese West Indian greats with streets, areas and billboards baring their names.
The Pomeroon born Broadcaster, who now resides in St Lucia, said that in 1865 the first First-Class match in this country was played at the Parade Ground in Middle Street, Georgetown and said he is saddened at the condition of a ground which hosted four First-Class matches before that level of cricket moved to Bourda.

Female Cricketer of the Year Sabrina Munroe collects her trophy from GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie

Perreira said that he wished that local cricket administrators forget about the power struggle, politics and positions and work together in the best interest of the development of cricket. He added that if the bitter politics in Guyana’s cricket continues to fester the game we all love could soon be destroyed and along with it the careers of several talented young Guyanese.
The Broadcaster said he was honoured to have been invited to speak at the function and said that starting up a professional league in Guyana is a good thing since he feels too many Guyanese are forced to ply their trade overseas for economic reasons which weaken the standard of local club cricket and aid in the improvement of the game in places like Trinidad where most Guyanese cricketers play at the club level.
Ali, who replaced Chetram Singh as GCB head in July, said 11 is a very unlucky number and pointed out that 2011 has been a terrible year of Guyana’s cricket with this country finishing at the bottom of the points table in the four-day competition for the third consecutive year.
The GCB top man however said that the number 12 brings much improvement and stated that once the GCB can overcome the next two weeks, better days should be ahead for his Board.
He informed that sponsorship has already been acquired for four teams to participate in a professional league and while he said that the aim was to start with at least six sides, four would be enough to get the competition started.
Ali also disclosed that National players will be used to coach in schools next year which will not only provide the players with some added finances but also lift the level of school’s cricket and generate a positive interest for the game among young students.
He said that it is hoped that the GCB can work along with the private sector and Government, especially in the area of the availability of grounds, to see cricket really take off in 2012.
DCC copped the award for the Club of the Year, while national t20 Skipper Chris Barnwell collected the Lance Gibbs trophy for the Most Improved Player of the Year.
West Indies under-19 Leg-spinner Amir Khan was named Junior Cricketer of the Year and received the Roy Fredericks trophy, while Assad Fudadin got the Rohan Kanhai trophy for being named the Senior Domestic cricketer of the year.
Leon Johnson took home the Clive Lloyd trophy for the Senior Regional Cricketer of the Year, while West Indies youth fast bowler Ronsford Beaton earned the Emerging Cricketer of the Year award and Tagenarine ‘Brandon’ Chanderpaul copped the Regional under-15 cricketer of the Year award.

Cricketer of the Year Devendra Bishoo receives his trophy from GCB President Ramsay Ali

Digicel, Ansa McAL Trading, DDL and GTM will also received Corporate Awards, while Chanderpaul Hemraj (best batsman), Khan (best bowler) and Jomal La Fleur (most valuable player) collected awards for their performances in this year’s Regional under-19 series in Guyana.
Barnwell and Derwin Christian were presented with special awards for their selection on the West Indies t20 team for the first time this year, while June Ogle-Thomas also picked up an award for her debut selection on the West Indies female team. Nigel Dugid received an award for his elevation to the International panel of ICC Umpires.
Trainer Orin Bailey, Coach Adrian Amsterdam, Administrator Carl Moore, Curator Wazim Habib, Umpire Somwaru and Cricket Journalists Sean Devers of Kaieteur News and Colin Benjamin of Stabroek News were presented with special awards for their outstanding contribution to the development of Guyana’s cricket.