Guyanese girls delivered exceptional performances against English blind cricket team
The five local players were Crystal Aulder, Rosemarie Ramitt, Melieka Crawford, Robecka Edinboro, and Ackila Smith.
The five local players were Crystal Aulder, Rosemarie Ramitt, Melieka Crawford, Robecka Edinboro, and Ackila Smith.

THE Guyana Blind Cricket Association (GBCA) is proud of the performances exhibited by the five female Guyanese cricketers who recently played on the West Indies (WI) team against the English blind cricket team in Barbados.

The local players, described as the ‘backbone’ of the WI team, performed “exceptionally well and beyond expectation” throughout the series earlier this month, their coach and vice-captain of the Guyana senior team, Ganesh Singh, told this publication.

The blind cricketers played five T-20 matches over a five-day period following three days of intense training guided by the coaches from England and the WI management team. The training sessions were conducted to facilitate the ‘gelling’ of the WI team and for the English to impart knowledge and skills to the WI females; most of whom were new to the sport of blind cricket.

The five local players were Crystal Aulder, Rosemarie Ramitt, Melieka Crawford, Robecka Edinboro, and Ackila Smith.

Aulder was given the task of captaining the WI team which Singh said she did with distinction since she was the leading run-scorer for the series with 154 runs with a top score of 53.

Aulder also had three not-out scores as opening batter for the WI team in all five innings. She was named ‘player-of-the-match’ and received a plaque for her 50.

Vice-captain of the Guyana senior team Ganesh Singh

Edinboro, who was named the best B3 of the series and received a plaque, made a total of 112 runs with a top score of 36.  She opened the batting with Aulder. In addition to her batting success, she had two wickets and seven run-outs.  She was also said to be one of the best fielders in the series.

Crawford was the wicketkeeper for the WI team and did a good job behind the stumps although it was her first time keeping wicket, Singh said. She also made some useful contributions with the bat when she was required.

Smith, who did not get an opportunity to bat in any of the games, did an “exceptional” job in the field having a few run-outs and saving a lot of runs for her team.

Ramitt, the only B1 from Guyana, was the main B1 batter for her team and was part of some useful partnerships with her captain.  She also bowled well in the five games, Singh reported.

The WI team won one out of their five games.  In the game they won, they batted first and made 148 runs with the top scorer being Aulder.  The English team managed 132 runs.

In the four other games, Singh said the WI team performed very well although they did not win.

“The commitment and passion was evident in all the WI players. It must be highlighted that this was a learning experience for the female blind cricketers and would only assist in growing the sport amongst the females with vision disabilities both in Guyana and the region,” he noted.

The English female blind cricket team have been playing for a number of years and for most of the WI females, it was their first exposure to blind cricket.

The girls benefited from intense training at the Guyana National Stadium prior to travelling to Barbados, under the supervision of captain and vice-captain of the Guyana senior team Kevin Douglas and Ganesh Singh respectively.

“The GBCA wishes to express its sincerest gratitude and deepest appreciation to the following individuals and entities that made it possible for the females to travel to Barbados and participate in the series through their kind contributions:

His Excellency President David Granger; Mr Christopher Jones and the National Sports Commission; Ms Shelly Bhagwandin and her team at the United Women for Special Children (UWSC); the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB); P&P Insurance Brokers; Mr Komal Singh and his team at Gico Construction Inc.; Noble House Seafoods; Goodwood Racing Service; Mr Anthony Xavier and his team at the National stadium.”

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.