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Ramnauth looking to expand youth league In E’bo
Devon Ramnauth
Kaieteur News –
By Zaheer Mohamed
The inaugural Devon Ramnauth Youth Cricket League, which was held recently on the Essequibo Coast, was deemed a success by the organisers. The T20 league which was sponsored by Ramnauth, a former Essequibo and Guyana youth player, was contested by six teams with Queenstown U19 emerging victorious.
Ramnauth, who now resides in Canada, told Kaieteur Sport that he is looking to expand the league to other areas of the county. “I’m looking to expand as we proceed. The first stage would be a bridging initiative where Region #2 will produce a team to play against other area committees such as Wakenaam, Leguan, East Bank Essequibo and Bartica. This will help in the development of the game in the county.”
The League has rekindled the passion among the youths for the game in region two and Ramnauth said he is happy to be given the opportunity to give back to the youths there.
“I was prompted to start this league to give back to my county of Essequibo and the youths, and also pay tribute to my late coach Courtney Gonsalves and others who played a part in the development of youth cricket in Region #2 and by extension Essequibo County,” he said.
Ramnauth stated that the league’s main objective is to give the youths a chance to play more cricket in preparation for possible county and national selection and at the same time showcase their talent. The inaugural league was not only limited to players from Essequibo as players from Demerara and Berbice also participated. However, according to Ramnauth this was done to ascertain the talent level of the Essequibo players.
“Players from other counties were given the green light to participate because we want to see where our youths are in terms of performance and it was evident that we have a lot of work to do with our own youths. So for the second edition in August no outside players would be allowed to play,” he explained.
Ramnauth said he was very pleased that the tournament came off. “The support from the South and Central Cricket Committees, the players and parents were wonderful. With Pomeroon closing off proceedings, more than 150 youths participated in the league. That’s amazing stuff!”
Ramnauth added that females will eventually have their own version of the league and things will be put in place to make that a reality. “We did a feature female exhibition game on the day of the final and it was pleasing to see the interest among the players,” he said.
As plans are in the making to expand the league, Ramnauth pointed out that players will also be involved in outreach programmes. “Apart from playing the league, players will be involved in community outreach programmes to help the youths both on and off the field. Coaching Programmes, Umpires Training Seminars and Youth Development Programmes such as Public Speaking and a balanced Lifestyle are in the pipeline. The general feedback from the teams was good. Teams were excited to play a youth T20 tournament with coloured clothes and white balls. The first in the county,” he said.
Ramnauth wants to see more teams involved in the second edition. “In terms of improvement, I think right now we’re doing great as we prepare for August and it will remain a T20 tournament. However, I would love to see more teams involved, which means more cricket for the youths.”
He expressed gratitude to Trevis Simon, Aotto Christiani, Rayburn Holder and Ravendra Madholall, players, parents, sponsors and well wishers for making this league a reality and a success. “We are excited and ready for August as both the Essequibo Coast and the Pomeroon River get their own leg of the league.” In the 2001 inter county U19, Ramnauth made a century against Demerara at Everest CC as Essequibo went on to win the game.
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