National cricketers wing out for Grenada today
GUYANA will begin their quest for cricketing supremacy when the West Indies Cricket Board’s Regional four-day competition bowls off on January 9 and hopefully their fortunes will be written in silverware at the culmination of the competition.

The national team, coming off a dismal 2008, where they failed to add any silverware to their cabinet, will be playing Windward Islands in Grenada in the first round of the competition.

The general mood from the camp suggests the players are cognisant of that grim reality before they wing out later today.

They have been encamped since December 12 last and according to coach Albert Smith, the technical team had been focusing on the physical as well as the mental aspect of the game.

Further, he stated that it was always a mental tug-of-war between Guyana and the Windward Islands especially since Guyana is always considered as one of the regional powerhouses in the game and the Windwards, the minnow.

But it is noteworthy to state that the Windward Islands are not as weak as a decade ago and therefore are giving better accounts of themselves in all forms of cricket in the various competitions organised in the Caribbean.

Therefore, the Guyana team will “pull all stops to ensure that the players are equipped to handle different scenarios on the field of play”, Smith stated.

Meanwhile, prior to Guyana’s final practice session at the Guyana National Stadium yesterday, Chronicle Sport also caught up with skipper Travis Dowlin and he, while conscious of Guyana’s lack-lustre performance in the past year, is viewing the upcoming competition with measured optimism.

When Dowlin was asked about his team’s state of mind going into the competition without gaining any accolades last year he stated: “It is definitely motivation for us as players (to do well). It was disheartening for the team to not add any silverware to our cabinets but we are going to use that as a positive and go out there and make it right. We are going to go out to Grenada prepared and will cover all angles as we have done in our practice sessions despite the inclement weather.”

When asked about whether his charges feel the same way entering the competition Dowlin stated that they all share the disappointment of not adding any trophy to Guyana’s coffer but it is their belief that they can turn things around in this competition.

Dowlin, who has served Guyana tremendously over the years as captain and player, was asked about his form going into the tournament, stated “my form has been good and I will be trying to maintain it, it’s a long season and I will be looking to keep things simple and get huge consistent scores to help myself and team”.

Guyana have not won the four-day version of the game since 2002 under the captaincy of Carl Hooper and senior player Esaun Crandon has stated that all the players in the squad will have to pull their weight for Guyana to be successful.

Smith, on the other hand, said that the technical staff had made arrangements for the squad to continue their preparation in Grenada and if the players are focused there should be no problem because their fitness is at a good level despite the bad weather during the month of December.

He also added that the structure and composition of the team was very solid because they selected players that were both mentally and physically tough and the opportunity is there for Guyana to be more successful this year.