‘Historic’ National U21 Club tournament bowls off later this month

‘Historic’ has been the term used to describe the newest age-group cricket tournament on the block: the ‘One Guyana’ National Under-21 Inter-Club Super 50 knockout tournament, which has been launched at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence on Tuesday afternoon.
A collaborative effort between the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS), this competition would see teams from across the country competing for top honours in about two weeks’ time.
GCB’s Anthony D’Andrade, in detailing the format of this tournament, has said: “It’s going to be a knockout tournament with matches in Berbice, Essequibo and Demerara; and then the winners of each county will qualify to represent their county at what we will call a National Playoff. The National Playoff is scheduled for the end of April, between April 22nd and April 27th.”
During his time at the podium, GCB President Bissoondyal Singh described the upcoming tournament as an indicator of the Board’s commitment to development. He explained that it stands to bridge the gap between youth and senior competition.

“Today is more than just the beginning of a competition; it marks another significant step in the Guyana Cricket Board’s commitment (to) the development, in partnership with the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport…, he declared.
“For years, our young cricketers have had structured opportunities at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels; but after that, many face the challenges of transitioning into the senior cricket (team) without adequate competition to bridge the gap,” Singh detailed. “With this under-21 tournament, we are giving our players that additional opportunity to grow, develop, and refine their skills before stepping onto the senior stage. This initiative is the direct result of the GCB’s long-term vision for the sport.”
The GCB Boss went on to add, “As part of a 5-year development plan, we recognized the need for a structured pathway that nurtured talent at every stage.

We started with the introduction of the under-13 and under-23 age group tournaments, and today, with the addition of the under-21 competition, we are completing the full circle of that development framework. This will ensure that every young cricketer has a clear route to progress from grassroots to the national, and eventually international levels.”
The U21 tournament will not only be a first for Guyana, but also the wider Caribbean region. Highlighting this fact, Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr expressed hope that Cricket West Indies (CWI) would take notice of Guyana’s development efforts.
Ramson Jr. remarked, “I also would want to see that the CWI Board, that they also would appreciate the step that we’re taking in advancing this initiative; because it’s a different step that we’re taking, not totally novel, because obviously you know that there’s an under-23 tournament, but it’s a novel concept because no other place has an under-21 tournament.
“So, it’s not just historic for Guyana, it’s historic for the region. And I’m hoping that Cricket West Indies appreciates the bold step that we’re taking in this new initiative, and they also see the credence as well as the credibility of advancing this as a firm part of the overall structure of the development pathway for cricket talent in the region,” he concluded.
Registration for the U-21 Inter-Club tournament will commence today, Wednesday March 12, and close on Wednesday March 19. The National Playoffs will take place at the Guyana National Stadium, the Sport Minister has confirmed.