,,, coach pleased with fitness level
IN preparation for their upcoming matches in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)-organised Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL)-sponsored Regional Under-19 tournament, which will be held in St Lucia, the national Under-19 team will be engaged in a three-day practice match against a Rest XI at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary, from today. Coach of the national youth team, Hubern Evans, is pleased with the fitness level of his charges, taking into consideration the stage they were at when they went into encampment two weeks ago.
“I am proud to say that the fitness level of the players is at A-1 level at the moment and we are very pleased with that, especially when we look back at the level some of them were when they came into camp.
“Such a remarkable improvement showed the guys’ dedication to work hard in order to achieve success, with some of them increasing their work ethics, making both the manager (Alvin Johnson) and me very proud of them.”
Asked to comment on the camaraderie within the camp, Evans said he has not seen much difference from previous teams, with the players gelling together and encouraging each other during their workout sessions.
There is one minor injury which occurred to former national Under-15 skipper Kwame Crosse who was struck on his instep by a ball during Saturday’s practice session and is having difficulty walking at the moment.
Evans further stated that the bowling department, which is the strength of the team this year, looks good following the few sessions they have had, while concerns still linger over the batting department. But the guys are ready to go out there and make the country proud.
As is customary at this time of the year in Guyana, Mother Nature hides her smiling face from us when it comes to cricket and it was no different with this team, whose practice sessions had been hampered by the weather on numerous occasions.
“The weather has been unkind to us, hence we have had limited practice sessions on pitches and while the Police Sports Club pitch is good, the outfield was not 100% so we could not do anything with regard to a practice match.
“Hopefully, the weather will hold up and we get the opportunity to have three full days of cricket which will place us in an advantageous position to further assess the members of the team fully, but from the naked eye, all systems are in place and we are ready to go.
The final eleven for the national team will be chosen from: Dexter Solomon, Harrinarine Chattergoon, Brian Sattaur, Dominic Rikhi, Joemal La Fleur, Herell Greene, Anthony Adams, Sherwin McPherson, Ricardo Adams, Andre Stoll, Amir Khan, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson and Kwame Crosse.
The Rest XI will be chosen from: Ricardo Jadunauth, Jeetendra Sookdeo, Alex Romalho, Ellon Fernandes, Delon Fernandes, Raj Nanan, Joshua Wade, Dennis Leqay, Delroy Jacobs and Seon Daniels.
The action will get under way at 10:00 h each day and all members of the Rest XI are asked to be at the venue for 08:30 h.