… Presentation at Everest this afternoon

DESPITE the sun being out in all its glory yesterday, there was no play between Essequibo and Berbice in the final round of the Guyana Cricket Board-organised Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company/Hand-in-Hand four-day tournament at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

At the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground, defending champions Demerara were down to face the second-placed President’s XI, but after several inspections, umpires Matthew Kissoon and Zaheer Mohammed decided to call off play for the day at 14:30hrs.
At Camp Road, the players from both sides milled around the bar area where they were looking at reruns of the Barclay’s Premier League encounter on Sportsmax, while the groundsmen were busy with the pitch and outlying areas of the field which was soggy underfoot and, weather permitting, the action at both venues is expected to commence at 09:00hrs today.
In an invited comment with Chronicle Sport, Demerara skipper Leon Johnson expressed his disappointment at not being able to perform in the middle at Uitvlugt in an encounter which they considered crucial, especially after their loss to Berbice in the previous round.
“It’s indeed disappointing that we did not get a chance to play over the past three days, as the ground was not conducive enough for cricket, since the rain left it in a soggy condition.
“We don’t have control over the weather and while some of the players were eager to go out there and impress the selectors and at the same time garner much needed points for the team, it was impossible to do so,” said Johnson.
Quizzed on his feelings and form, the West Indies ‘A’ team middle order batsman and GCB Cricketer-of-the-Year said he is focusing his attention on the West Indies Cricket Board Regional Super50 which bowls off in Trinidad and Tobago next month, then he will look to make the four-day team.
Meanwhile, while many felt that yesterday was the scheduled first day of the final round of the tournament which has Berbice leading the points table with 18 points, followed by President’s XI (15), Demerara (12) and Essequibo (0), it was in fact the third day.
Territorial Development Officer of the GCB Colin Stuart informed that yesterday was indeed the penultimate day of the round which was scheduled to get under way on Sunday but could not due to the heavy rainfall which was plaguing the City and its environs.
According to Stuart, the presentation of prizes will be done this afternoon at the Everest Cricket Club ground, where representatives of both GT&T and Hand-in-Hand, who for the first time joined forces with the GCB to sponsor the tournament, will be present.
So as it is, whether or not there is play today, Berbice will be declared champions with President’s XI and Demerara ending as the first and second runners-up respectively, unless there is a collapse at Uitvlugt this morning and Demerara take first innings points from President’s XI.

(By Calvin Roberts)