Demerara U-15 Inter-Association Competition East Coast emerge as champions
– Tournament deemed as ‘disorganized’
A disorganized Demerara Under 15 Inter-association cricket tournament concluded with East Coast emerging champions after playing just two matches.
In those matches, East Coast defeated West Demerara and Georgetown while on Friday their last game was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain
Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Territorial Development Officer (TDO), Colin Stuart, presents East Coast captain, Davenand Khemraj with the winning trophy with the rest of the team in the foreground
which left the outfield at Ogle Ground waterlogged.
In the other contest on Friday, Georgetown defeated West Demerara by 46 runs in a low scoring affair at the Everest Cricket Club Ground. Batting first the host were restricted to 79 all out in 19.3 overs with only three batsmen reaching double figures while Devindra Seenarine and Mohan Bradford bowled well for the visitors sharing five wickets between them. Joel Gilks (16), Udashave Balgobin (12) and Brandon Jaigobin (10) were the only batsmen to reach double figures in the match.
In reply, West Demerara were routed for 33 in 18 overs, reminiscent of their dubious record on March 12 2014 when they were bowled out for 13 as none of their batsmen got off the mark and 13 extras were bowled. Only difference this time around there were more extras, 20, and five of their batsmen came off the mark with the top score being four.
For Georgetown medium pacers Negusa Walters and Aryan Persaud along with left arm orthodox spinner Raynaldo Mohamed, who looked a cut above the other players applying his skill, captured two wickets apiece. It was no surprise that these young men look apart from their peers because they are from three clubs-Malteenoes Sports Club, Everest Cricket Club and Georgetown Cricket Club-that have programmes that are well organized.
There were several positives apart from the many negatives. Several fifties were scored and the interest of cricket is imminent among the young players who seem to want to aspire above this level.
However, it was chaos prior to and during the tournament. On the eve of the event, a local coach directed by a representative of the GCB, held a meeting to select Georgetown team. How can a team be selected from a meeting? I would love the guidance of the GCB on this matter.
On the day of the first match, East Bank failed to turn up to play Georgetown, prompting officials to use reserves from East Coast, West Demerara and Georgetown to form a Combined XI.
According to a source close to GCB, East Bank team failed to show up at the venue due to no funding from the Board for transportation.
On day two of the tournament East Bank was at Everest early and ready to play, as a result, the Combined XI was dismantle and some of Georgetown and East Coast players were left stranded in the City while those two teams were preparing to clash at Ogle.
A Journalist took some of the players to Ogle Ground while an official from East Bank team took one of the players into his team since he resides in that area. That player scored an unbeaten half century and shared in an unbroken 170 run opening partnership that secured victory by 10 wickets for East Bank.
This perilous approach to cricket by the administrators’ need to be corrected immediately or else cricket would be driven deeper into the ground.
Inter-County is next I wonder how the GCB is going to arrive at selecting the best 14 for Demerara.
