Women cricketers off to WICB tourney …
MANAGER of the female national team which left these shores yesterday morning for St Vincent, Ava Baker, expressed her confidence in the team to do well in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional women’s limited overs tournament.
“I must say after listening to everything that was said, we are going to make you proud. Even though we did not get much pitch practice, we do intend to go out there and do our best to make you proud. I am confident that this team will make you proud in one week’s time.”
Baker was at the time responding to the good wishes from members of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) including its president Chetram Singh at the customary farewell dinner held in the honour of her team at the Windjammer Hotel and Cuisine.
Prior to Baker’s brief remarks, Singh congratulated the members of the team who he said were chosen from amongst hundreds of female players who competed in numerous tournaments.
Singh told the Shemaine Campbell-led team and special invitees including secretary of GCB. Anand Sanasie, senior chairman of selectors Claude Raphael and Territorial Development Officer (TDO) Reon King that the crowning glory for the team would not only be in winning the tournament, but having five or six of them on the West Indies team.
“We at the GCB are very confident you will go out there and make us proud. We feel that way, as your coach told us this is one of the fittest female teams to ever leave these shores, even boasting of one of your team members doing better in the beep test than the senior male team.
Apart from the confidence we have in you I would like to urge you to go out there and make your country proud. There are places to be filled on the West Indies team for the upcoming tournament in South Africa and what would be great for us, is not only have you return as champions, but also see five or six of you guys on that West Indies team.”
He added: “This regional tournament will present you with a great opportunity to showcase your talent first of all as an individual and secondly as a team. The recent success of our male team in the Caribbean T20 tournament has been great for Guyana.
It presented for us more positive vibes when one takes into consideration the negatives that have been circulating of late. Mr. Raphael said to me that this is one of the best teams selected to represent us to date, so I wish to say to you, best wishes and we are waiting to see you guys return home with the bacon.”
Guyana, who are placed in zone B with Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), St Vincent and Grenadines and Grenada, play their first game against T&T at Sion Hill tomorrow, before they oppose the Grenadians at Stubbs the following day.
The Guyana 14 reads: Shemaine Campbell (captain), Zaheeda Samdally, Erva Giddings, Sabrina Munroe, Tremayne Smartt, Abena Parker, Onika Wallerson, June Ogle-Thomas, Prudence Williams, Melanie Henry, Sheneiza Emerson, Joan Van Sertima, Nikita Toney and Tracy Miller.

The fixtures are as follows: Zone A: Jamaica, Barbados , St Lucia , Dominica
Zone B: Trinidad and Tobago , Guyana , St Vincent and the Grenadines , Grenada

Thursday, August 12
Jamaica v Barbados at Arnos Vale 1
St Lucia v Dominica at Stubbs
Trinidad and Tobago v Guyana at Sion Hill
St Vincent and Grenadines v Grenada at Arnos Vale 2

Friday, August 13
Jamaica v St Lucia at Sion Hill
Barbados v Dominica at Arnos Vale 2
Trinidad and Tobago v St Vincent and the Grenadines at Arnos Vale 1
Guyana v Grenada at Stubbs

Sunday, August 15
Dominica v Jamaica at Stubbs
St Lucia v Barbados at Arnos Vale 2
Grenada v Trinidad and Tobago at Sion Hill
Guyana v St Vincent and the Grenadines at Arnos Vale 1

Monday, August 16
Semi-final 1: 1st of Zone A v 2nd of Zone B at Arnos Vale 2
Semi-final 2: 1st of Zone B v 2nd of Zone A at Arnos Vale 1
Play-off 1: 3rd of Zone A v 4th of Zone B at Stubbs
Play-off 2: 4th of Zone A v 3rd of Zone B at Sion Hill

Wednesday, August 18
Final: Winners of semi-final 1 v Winners of semi-final 2 at Arnos Vale 1
3rd place play-off: Losers of semi-final v Losers of semi-final 2 at Stubbs
Winners of play-off 1 v Winners of play-off 2 at Arnos Vale 1
Losers of play-off 1 v Losers of play-off 2 at Sion Hill