WITH female cricketers in the Ancient County being inactive for 95% of the cricketing season, cricket enthusiast Vicram Seubarran ahs organised an exhibition game which will whet the appetite of fans who turn up at the Albion Community Centre ground this Saturday, to witness the third place and final of the Universal DVD Club/Universal Solutions ninth anniversary T20 Festival.

To this end, female Guyana and West Indies player Tremayne Smartt is looking to use the occasion to revive the sport for the distaff side and she applauds the efforts of Seubarran in helping her to make the first step towards such an achievement.
When you look at Smartt training with the opposite sex, you see a passionate side about her as it relates to the game of cricket, since she competes with them evenly, as was evident last Tuesday afternoon at the Port Mourant Community Centre ground, where she and about 13 other females were undergoing net sessions for Saturday’s fixture.
In an invited comment after, Smartt said she is eager to go out there and compete on Saturday, even as she is willing to offer guidance and advice to those young females who are interested in playing the sport.
Berbice is known for producing players at all levels for Guyana and to an extent the West Indies team, but Smartt is in a unique bunch alongside Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings and Sabrina Munroe as the female players from the Ancient County to have represented the Regional side.
In fact, the trio was part of the squad which toured Australia recently and is likely to be named in the World Cup squad as well, but despite this achievement, the pains of not seeing the game flourish and develop further for the females in the Ancient County is paining Smartt a lot.
“It will be great, first of all, for us to go out there on Saturday and showcase to the Berbice people the talent female cricketers possess, since female cricket is not something that is played all year round, but only done when the Guyana Cricket Board needs us for an Inter-county tournament which is not until late July to early August.
Just to play this exhibition match alone is fantastic, as we as female cricketers would like if an individual or businessman can help keep us together, as nothing goes on for us until the GCB calls us for the Inter-county,” said Smartt.
She added, “Most of the girls would be unfit and just up and go when called to prepare for the Inter-county, but it would be nice if we can have somebody or individuals who can help keep us active throughout the year.”
Smartt said she is willing to help the new players especially with Saturday’s game which while being short, they can still gather something from the game and continue to develop, as she herself is willing to impart her knowledge gained to the younger players and help them develop.
Smartt said the idea of forming a female unit and travel around Guyana to play competitively against other female sides, can also aid in the development and resuscitation of the game for the opposite sex, something she is more than willing to be a part of, anytime.
Both Smartt and Campbelle will lead the respective female teams in the exhibition match on Saturday which will be a T20 affair prior to the third place playoff, with other players such as Giddings, Phaffiana Millington and Melanie Henry also set to make an appearance.

(By Calvin Roberts)