WITH the Guyana Football Rugby Union (GFRU) being granted permission to use the Guyana National Stadium for their Olympic rugby qualifier sometime next month, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is unable to host the semi-final and final of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Twenty20 tournament.
Accompanied by his full team of executives, including chairman of the Competition Committee Carl Moore along with Treasurer Asif Ahmad and Assistant Secretary Ronald Williams, Singh took the time to update the media on the GCB’s plans for the remainder of the year.
“As you are aware, the second half of the year is when most of the cricket tournaments whether locally or regionally are played and today I regret to say that Guyana will not be able to host the semi-finals and final of the WICB Twenty20 tournament,” said Singh.
According to president of the GCB and long-serving Director of the WICB, Chetram Singh, all avenues have been exhausted with regard to an alternative arrangement with either the GRFU or the WICB.
“Guyana was scheduled to host the final four, wherein the National Stadium was the venue of choice, since the matches would have been played from 13:30 h to 22:30 h respectively.
However, no one envisioned the running off of a Regional tournament at this time of the year, while the GRFU had applied to use the national stadium since January. With no other venue being adequate enough due to artificial lights, the WICB has no choice but to source another venue for the final four,” stated Singh.
According to Singh, Barbados will go ahead and host the preliminary rounds as was stipulated from July 22 to 25, while the playoffs will be held at a venue to be announced from July 27 to 31.
Singh was at the time outlining the GCB’s plans for the remainder of the year, which included early preparations for the national Under-19 team that will contest the WICB Regional Under-19 tournament and the female national team.
Marketing Director of the GCB Ramsay Alli stated that Digicel has agreed to come on board as the main sponsor of the GCB’s Twenty20 tournament, from which the national team would be selected.
“This tournament will either be an Inter-club or county tournament which will be used to select the national team to play in the WICB tournament and will be played in all three counties and after being selected, the national team will be playing a few practice matches against a Rest XI, which is part of the sponsors’ request.”
Singh further outlined the GCB’s plans for the national male Under-19 team, which includes the present weekend encampment, followed by a full encampment that will take place from June 15 to July 4, as they depart for St Lucia July 6.
As they did for the past three years, Guyana play their first match against Leeward Islands from July 8 to 10, before taking on Jamaica, Windward Islands, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) in that order in the three-day format of the tournament.
The limited overs tournament, a version of this competition that Guyana have never won despite numerous successes at the three-day version, will commence on Thursday July 29, three days after the completion of the three-day version, with Guyana meeting the Leewards once again, before they play the same teams in order as they did in the three-day format.
In consultation with the GCB’s Territorial Development Officer (TDO) and former Guyana and West Indies fast bowler Reon King, Singh said the present emphasis for the GCB Under-19 team during their weekend encampments is fitness, while the governing body is hoping to have a few mental sessions for the team prior to their departure.