GCB’s senior inter-county tournament returns on October 9

…Finals to be played under floodlights at Albion

After an absence of over five (5) years, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) will again host the senior inter-county tournament from October 9 to October 15, 2022.
This tournament had been played annually for decades, until the introduction of a local franchise league during the 2014/2015 season. That league was conducted under the stewardship of the previous GCB executives, whose decision to abort the hosting of the senior inter-county tournament was not accepted by most stakeholders, the majority of whom had demanded its return.

Those stakeholders included, but are not limited to, several players, coaches, managers, cricket development officers, and administrators at the various levels of the domestic organisational cricket structure.
Consequently, the current executives of the GCB have incorporated this tournament into their 5-Year Strategic Plan, with the senior inter-county matches being placed under the competition component of cricket development. Though international players generally earn their spots on the respective national teams, availability and performances in coveted inter-county tournaments have been promoted as the primary means for national selection.
Under the local franchise league, team composition and operation of the league deviated from the valuable county structure and inhibited many players from accessing the opportunity to play on this platform. The senior inter-county tournament was at one time considered first-class cricket, and several stakeholders are of the view that the conduct of such a premier tournament should remain part and parcel of the GCB’s core business objectives.
GCB President Bissoondyal Singh pointed out that “the GCB can ill-afford to play franchise leagues in place of the inter-county tournament. Both the Cricket Administration Act, 2014, and the Constitution of the Guyana Cricket Board give the County Boards supremacy over other cricket associations, committees and potential legal franchises. As a result, the GCB holds the view that senior inter-county cricket must be played annually regardless of the existence of additional tournaments which can be used to feed players into the GCB’s coveted inter-county tournament.
“It is against this backdrop that we have outlined in our 5-Year Strategic Plan the need to conduct inter-county championship tournaments for all levels of cricket where there are CWI regional tournaments. Our aim at the GCB is to administer cricket in an impartial manner, giving opportunities to all those who participate in the game across the depth and breadth of Guyana. As the President of GCB, I am proud to announce that senior inter-county cricket will return to our competition structure from October 9, 2022. I reiterate that senior inter-county cricket tournament is here to stay. It will be an annual feature, and aspiring senior cricketers will have another avenue to showcase their skills and abilities with a view of donning national colours with pride”.
The finals of the GCB One-Day 50 Overs Tournament will be played at the Albion Community Centre ground under floodlights.