History made! As Government endorsed GCB BetCageSports National T20 League launched – Action bowls off this Saturday with double-header  

Oct 25, 2024 Sports

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GCB, BetCageSports National T20 League… 

Kaieteur Sports – Guyana broke new ground in the cricket fraternity, following yesterday’s epic launch of the first edition Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) National League T20 tournament endorsed by His Excellency President Irfaan Ali and the Government of Guyana, sponsored by BetCageSports.

Six franchise teams from across the respective three counties will battle in 18 preliminary matches. Selected from a pool of 120 players, cricketers were chosen by the respective county chairmen, with action bowling off this Saturday and Sunday at the LBI Cricket Facility Ground.

The respective franchise captain’s Christopher Barnwell (Demerara Pitbulls), Jonathan Rampersaud (Berbice Piranhas) , Junior Sinclair (Demerara Hawks), Anthony Adams (Essequibo Anacondas), Devon Lord (Berbice Caimans) and stand-in Parmesh Parshotam (Essequibo Jaguars) will lead strong teams featuring a number of past, present and future Guyana stars; with a pair of U-19 players specially assigned to each franchise.

Among the head table Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) executives present included but were not limited to; President Bissoondyal Singh, Regional Business operations BetCageSports Dwayne Dodson, GCB Cricket Operations Anthony Adams, Secretary Ronald Williams, and Competitions Chairman/CWI Director of Cricket Shaun Massiah among others led proceedings held upstairs the Marriott Hotel.

GCB president Singh, delivering his feature address said it was “A pleasure to be here for the launch of the National T20 League under the patronage of Ali, embracing the one Guyana vision”.  Singh said the tournament was highly anticipated and has managed to generate a lot of buzz thus far, adding that he’s confident of the event being a monumental T20 League.

Singh said the tournament aligns perfectly with Guyana’s strong development goals, adding that the USD $100K donation courtesy of BCS, will help to offset a number of logistics areas with President Ali already committing to trophies and prize money.

International Businessman and co-owner of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team, Robert Washington head of Caribbean Cage an entertainment and gaming company, has recently displayed keen interest in working along with the GCB, Government of Guyana to improve cricket.

The GCB boss said he was happy to have formed a good partnership alongside Mr. Washington, further issuing profound thanks to President Ali for his continued show of love for cricket. He thanked on behalf of GCB and stakeholders, as well as the President, for high levels of nurturing cricket while reaffirming Guyana’s position as a powerhouse in the sport.

Dodson said the key was to ensure that players don’t have to choose between work and school, but rather they can play on a professional stage, something Dodson said helps to further bind Culture and communities.

Giving some insight into the tournament D’Andrade said the objective is to give local players the opportunity because the franchise is taking the world by storm. He said unearthing new talent for the Amazon Warriors, Guyana and West Indies teams is a key part of the tournament’s existence; wishing best of luck to teams and players while urging Guyanese to come out.

Relishing the historic moment, during his feature address, Minister of Sports Charles Ramson, said “Today I’m repressing President Ali who is the patron of the tournament, which will be a feature on the calendar as we continue to focus our investments in cricket. We saw that we lost our way, that Guyana and the West Indies were not dominant winning champs as we once were and it was a blow to who we were, and it hurt us as a people,” said the Minister.

Whether Coach, player, or in administration, the Minister explained cricket plays a mega role in the lives of Guyanese. He praised fellow attorney, Mr. Washington for his commitment and dedication to the tournament, stating “Guyana Cricket has found its way over the last three years, as one of the dominant territories in the West Indies”, Ramson said while he saw challenges other country’s face, he’s thankful Guyana does not have those challenges, rather cricket is the sport that has shown everyone around the world that Guyana can be number one.

The Minister confirmed that out of the 5 currently under-construction stadiums, three can play international cricket. He said Albion was almost complete so too is the stadium at Palmyra, while Anna Regina Ground is eyeing significant competition next year, while the ground in Region 10, McKenzie ,will be complete by next year. With tons of cricket activities upcoming, the Minister said it was important to expand roles on commitment, widen the talent pool and prepare Guyana’s national team for the 2028 Olympics. (C. Ross)

 

 

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• Anthony Adams, BetCageSports, chairmen, competitions, Dwayne Dodson, Secretary Ronald Williams

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