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National Blind cricketers get $2.5 Million from Lotto fund
Guyana Blind team at the T&T airport on their way to St Lucia
Team confident of doing well in St Lucia
By Sean Devers
The Guyana Blind Cricket Association (GuyBCA) is scheduled to compete in the West Indies Cricket Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WICCBVI) Competition which started yesterday in St Lucia.
The Guyana team, which arrived in St Lucia on Tuesday evening after being in-transit in Trinidad, has six B1 players and 31-year-old Vice-Captain Ganesh Singh, a former West Indies blind player and current member of WICCBVI, expressed confidence that the team will give a good account of themselves.
We have been doing a lot of work in preparation for this tournament with sessions of the National Gymnasium which we were allowed to use by the National Sports Commission (NSC) and its Director of Sports Christopher Jones.
“The Government provided us with $2.5 million from the Lotto fund while the NSC Bus took us to the airport and will come back to pick us up when we return home and we would like to thank them for their timely assistance,” Singh explained.
Singh also informed that the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) also contributed $50,000 and the Guyana Times $100,000 since Singh works at that Media House.
Theresa Pemberton is the other Guyanese on WICCBVI and Singh said that although the Regional Body for Blind Cricket in the West Indies would love to cover the cost for air tickets and accommodation for all of the teams they are not in a financial position to do so.
Patrick Howard, the team’s leading batsman over the years has now retired from the game due to ‘bad knees’ and is now the Head Coach of the closely knit unit.
Howard says the team has benefited from the injection of young blood and because they are unable to participate in many recreational activities as sighted people, the players are eagerly looking forward to this trip.
Desmond Fraser, the ‘Adjustment to Blindness Officer’ is going on the trip to ensure the players remains confident and their spirits are high.
Guyana, who have its youngest team this year, have never won a title in the eight-year history of the competition although their best effort was in 2008 when they took the third spot.
Jamaica are the defending champions for the 40-over Competition while Trinidad and Tobago won the T20 title last year.
Guyana Blind Cricket Team: Ganesh Singh, Relon Sumner, Kevin Douglas, Anthony Robinson, Crystal Aulder, Musa Haynes, Douglas Tika, Gordon Sandiford, Leroy Phillips, Sean Mitchell, Malita Bailey, Teshawn Rodney, Ceion Rollox, Vishaul Mohabir
Officials: Theresa Pemberton (Manager), Patrick Howard (Coach), Cecil Morris (Assistant Coach), Desmond Fraser (Adjustment to Blindness Officer)
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