Guyana’s U-19s in preparation mode for CWI Regional Tournament

The 2019 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Under-19 tournament slated for St Vincent and the Grenadines is expected to commence around July 23.
This date has not yet been confirmed, but the players have been gearing up to compete in this tournament.

It was revealed that the 2019 edition of the tournament would only utilise the One-Day format since it would be used to select the squad for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup. This World Cup will be played in the 50-over format in South Africa from January 17, 2020.
CWI has selected a training squad, with Under-19 players around the Caribbean being involved in training camps. Currently, the Guyana Under-19 team are yet to be announced, but the probable players have been undergoing training.
Guyana will enter this 2019 edition of the CWI Regional Under-19 Tournament as the defending champions. Under Coach Julian Moore, Guyana have been a dominant force, winning the One-Day title on four consecutive occasions. The 2019 batch of players from Guyana that includes West Indies U-19 selectees will be eyeing a fifth consecutive championship when the tournament commences later this month.
The Hand-in-Hand U-19 Inter-County Tournament saw some good performances mainly from Demerara and Berbice. Demerara won the One-Day title while Berbice took the three-day title. Therefore, most of the players who will represent the Guyana U-19s in 2019 come from these teams. Currently, the Berbice players who are expected to gain selection have been engaged in training sessions together.
Hand-in-Hand is set to brand the Guyana team when they compete in this tournament. During the Inter-County Tournament, Berbice’s trio – Alex Algoo, Kevin Umroa and Junior Sinclair were the top performers. Algoo was the leading batsman with 374 runs while Umroa had 31 wickets, the most in the tournament. Sinclair was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) with four half-centuries, in addition to wickets and dismissals to his name.
Along with this trio, the likes of Kevlon Anderson, a West Indies U-19 selectee; Garfield Benjamin; Nigel Deodat; Leon Swamy and Seon Glasgow are prospective players for Guyana’s U-19s. From Demerara’s perspective, skipper Ashmead Nedd, the only current U-19 player with World Cup experience; Sachin Singh; Qumar Torrington and Alphius Bookie are almost certain picks for this tournament in St Vincent and the Grenadians.
Adrian Hinds, Yeudister Persaud, and Joel Spooner may also be considered for the final 14-man squad that will be announced later this month. Essequibo had a poor season, but the likes of Kevin Christian, Amit Persaud and Orlando Jailall looked promising. (Brandon Corlette)