Crandon is Head Coach; Hercules replaces Griffith as Assistant

Dec 06, 2021 Sports

By Sean Devers
Kaieteur News- Several changes have been made for next year’s Regional four-day first-class cricket tournament which is set to bowl off on February 20 with Guyana, under the new name of Guyana Amazon Jaguars, playing their first three games overseas.
Several other changes, including the length of the tournament, the Guyana Coaches, the possible team, the change of the GCB’s fittness criteria and Chairman of the senior selection panel among others were discussed.

The GCB team at Saturday’s press conference at the Grand Coastal hotel. President Bissoon Singh is in the middle sitting and to his right is VP Hilbert Foster.

These disclosures were among many made by GCB’s President Bissoondyal Singh at the Grand Coastal Hotel on the East Coach of Demerara on Saturday last.
This was the first press conference since April when the youthful and hardworking Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. played a pivotal role ensuring the previous Administration which spent 10 years in power, was defeated…a fact that Singh was quick to point out to the gathering, which included the Sports Media corps, who turned up in full force.
The 41-year-old Ramnaresh Sarwan, who committed to working with the batsmen, has replaced Ryan Griffith as Chairman of the Selectors.
Griffith was also replaced as Assistant Coach by Essequibian Ryan Hercules, while incumbent Esuan Crandon kept his job as Head of Coach of the now Guyana Amazon Jaguars.
Singh informed at the long awaited press conference, that Julian Moore is now the Coach of National Women’s team, adding that GCB Vice-President, CWI Director and the pro-active BCB President Hilbert Foster chaired the committee which selected the Coaches.
“There were eight Coaches who applied for the position and the successful candidates were those who scored the most points at the end of the interview,” added Singh who lamented that the new GCB came into office with $900 and with $1.6 million in three accounts, while inheriting bills.
Singh, who revealed that Andre Percival is the Chairman of National junior selection panel, informed that GCB had no access to the limited funds and used the money from the GCB grant to pay the Academy players until June.
“It’s not only that we came into office paperless with regards to LBI facility…we only have the lease, which we found in the GCB Office, but we got an invoice for $5million for Sand for the LBI ground.
CWI sent money to GCI account since CGI owned the Franchise team which we can’t access and we received not a cent to pay the Coaches.
All of the Guyana players are now being paid directly which means we sign can’t any contracts with them. We are presently in court with GCI so I can’t comment on that but this was the reason we changed the name of the Guyana Jaguars.
All of the other Boards own their Franchise team but the GCB does not own the Franchise. We have not been in office for 10 years and we have been involved in a number of Court cases and our Attorney Mr Gsosai has done a great job for us,” continued Singh who played a couple of first division games for GCC as a leg-spinner.
Singh informed that next year the GCB will be focusing on its short, medium and long terms plans which include staging Schools cricket in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers Union.
He also spoke of getting female cricket in Demerara and Essequibo up and running since Singh said it was only in Berbice that female cricket was played.
“We will also have Inter-County played at all levels while 50 overs Franchise will be a feeder for County selectors to pick their teams from, while in addition to U-15, 17 and 19 we will have an Under-23 to help bridge the game to senior cricket,” stated Singh, who noted that he was the one to propose a term limit to the National Assembly for the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the GCB.
In our next edition we will hear from Singh on the Essequibo Cricket Board issues and from Anil Beharry who heads to committee which deals with the LBI facility, while the Treasurer Brian Sukhai will update the public on the GCB financial position and improprieties found with the previous Administration and what is planned to deal with that issue.