THE DEMERARA Cricket Club (DCC) last Friday evening, bid farewell to five of their members who were selected to represent Guyana in the upcoming West Indies Cricket Board Regional Under-17 tournament, which bowls off in Tobago tomorrow.

Those selected from the club to represent Guyana are Travis Persaud who was selected as captain of the team, Ronaldo Renee, Kemo Paul, Keanu Harry and Sherfane Rutherford, while the Club’s coach Gavin Nedd, a former national off-spinner has been named coach of the team.
At a simple but very significant ceremony held at the Club’s Lance Gibbs Street-based pavilion, Club president Alfred Mentore said the five players are continuing a very rich tradition of the club which, he said, has seen a number of players from Under-15 to Senior representing Guyana and the West Indies.
He urged the players to emulate the example that was set by some of their past members among them being Lance Gibbs, Clive Lloyd and Roy Fredericks, Roger and Mark Harper, Travis Dowlin, Trevon Griffith and Christopher Barnwell, just to name a few.
He reminded them that their careers have just started and therefore they should ensure that they remain disciplined, committed and determined if success will be achieved.
“You are not only representing Guyana, you are representing DCC and most importantly yourself and family and I urge you to stick to the formula of success that we have imparted in you, right here at DCC,” Mentore said.
The former national Youth player stressed that his club’s tradition has always been to assist players whenever they are selected to represent Guyana and to this end, thanked several companies and individuals for coming on board in helping the players.
He added that another five of their players have been selected on the Under-15 squad and, similarly, a presentation will be held prior to their departure for Jamaica.
“We are very proud of what our Under-17 players have achieved and are equally proud of the Under-15 players also as we have another five that have been selected on the national Under-15 team,” said Mentore, who told the players once they remain consistent and committed to their respective tasks they would achieve greater things.
“You are going off to Trinidad representing not only Guyana but also DCC and it’s our desire that you will do your best as we remain committed towards helping you in achieving your goals and desires.”
Dowlin, himself a former Guyana and West Indies opener told the players that while the pressure would be increased they should be themselves, reminding them to stick to the same type of cricket that they play stressing that all that will be new is more hype and a bigger crowd.
“Remember while the on-field performance is important the off-field performance is equally important as socialising and interacting with the other teams will help in getting you to learn new things, new culture and more in general,” he said.
In describing the selection of the five club members, Nedd said they are five of the best players and it’s an accomplishment of which any club should be proud.
He warned the players about not remaining focused urging them that they should stick to their game plan while working hard to do very well, charging them to make their country, teammates, players and themselves proud as that responsibility lies in their hands.
Mentore donated two pairs of boots and one bat, Bish Panday two bats, Cell Phone Shack one pair of boots and Richard Kanhai two bats. Mentore said that other than being the president of the club, he was very happy to be giving back, noting that he recalls his day as a Youth player.
Panday urged the players to continue playing hard, stressing that their ultimate goal should be to represent the West Indies cricket team, while Kanhai reminded the players that his passion lies with cricket and he remains committed to giving back.
He said that while it’s the first time that he is making such a donation it certainly will not be the last and he intends to make regular donations to the team to help them fulfil their mandate.
The team winged out yesterday to begin the hunt for their inaugural title in this version of Regional cricket tomorrow, when they face the Windward Islands, following a fourth-placed finish in last year’s tournament when they won two and lost two of their games, as Jamaica carted off the title.