PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago will host Guyana in a Twenty20 Festival here at month-end, as both teams prepare for the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship in January. Both sides, previous regional T20 champions, will face a T&T ‘B’ team along with a national Under-23 unit, in the tournament set to run from December 28 to 30.
Two matches will be staged per day over the three-day competition at Guaracara Park in Pointe-a-Pierre, which will replace the annual North/South Classic.
“We decided this year to cancel the annual North/South Classic because we wanted to have our senior cricketers in T20 mode,” said local cricket chief Azim Bassarath.
“Remember they are going to play in the regional T20 cricket series in January, so we wanted some meaningful T20 stuff for them and not the longer version, which was the North/South Classic.
“In order to give them good preparation, we decided to contact the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and they kindly obliged to send their team to T&T to play in the series.
“Guyana are the defending champions and we are happy to report that both Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan have confirmed their availability for the series.”
Guyana are defending regional T20 champions after beating Barbados in the final last August while T&T have in the past won the now defunct Stanford tournament.
In the 2011 CT20, Guyana will campaign in Group A with Jamaica, Combined Campuses and Colleges, Windward Islands and Somerset while T&T do battle in Group B with Barbados, Canada, Hampshire and Leeward Islands.
“All in all we are trying our best to provide our team with the best preparation and we are looking forward to great things from them in the regional T20 cricket series,” said Bassarath.
I’ve learned a lot working alongside Duncan and Nero, says Duguid

By Calvin Roberts

FOLLOWING a successful debut run in the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Regional 50-overs tournament which was held in Jamaica, Guyana’s newest umpire on the first-class  scene,  the  41-year-old Nigel Duguid has been chosen to make his Regional Twenty20 debut, when the WICB Caribbean T20 tournament bowls off next month.
Duguid is one of four umpires who will make their T20 debut at the tournament and in an invited comment with Chronicle Sport, the father of three (twin girls and one boy) expressed his delight at being chosen to execute his duties in the upcoming tournament, in which Guyana are the defending champions.
“It feels good to be doing my first Regional T20, which will be televised live for the second time by ESPN. The faith that was entrusted in me by the WICB after recently completing my first Regional tournament less than two months ago speaks volumes and I intend to go out there and do my best.”
Duguid, who is a former Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) player, quit the gentleman’s game as a player in 1995 and took up umpiring five years later on the encouragement of the late Compton Vyphuis.
“I can recall vividly my first match, a first division encounter between Malteenoes Sports Club and GNIC at MSC. Clyde Duncan was at the other end and what impressed him about me was the fact that I conducted the match without fear and favour, even though I did not write any umpires’ examinations.
“Some may wonder why I finished with cricket and picked up umpiring shortly after, but after I did not make the national Under-19 team, in 1995 I lost interest in the game. Some afternoons I would be at practice, but my heart was not into practising and just like that (snap of fingers,) I called it quits.”
He added, “After being encouraged by Mr Vyphuis and with the advice I received from Duncan during my first match, Eddie Nicholls, Grantley Culbard and Colin Alfred among others later on, I decided to make umpiring my next career goal and being a former player, that has helped me a lot.”
Duguid, who is also employed as a Purchasing Officer with Toolsie Persaud Limited Hardware Division for the past nine years, plans to call on his years of experience in the middle, especially his most recent exposure in both the Regional limited overs and Pakistan’s ‘A’ team tour, to get him through the CT20.
“At the moment, I am feeling great and that is because of the experience I gained over the past two months, when I officiated in the 50 overs and the ‘A’ team series between Pakistan and the West Indies, where I worked alongside Peter Nero. Those experiences will come in handy during the T20.
“I plan to stay calm throughout my matches and treat it as an everyday something, despite the presence of television cameras, while at the same time, I am looking forward to working with both Duncan and Nero once again on the Regional field.”
He was high in praise of his wife of 15 years and the mother of his lone son, who has a zero tolerance on nonsense.
“I must say thanks to my wife for tolerating me with all the travelling for the past two months and for the coming months too. She is very compassionate and always displays a level of understanding whenever it comes to cricket and for that, I wish to say heartfelt thanks to her,” stated Duguid.
Apart from Duguid, Trinidadian Joel Wilson, Barbadian Gregory Braithwaite and Kittitian Luther Kelly will have their first officiating duties in the Caribbean T20 after a highly commendable regional debut outing in the WICB 50 overs tournament in October.
Wilson and Braithwaite, who officiated in two T20 games during the Pakistan’s ‘A’ team tour, will take charge of the opening game of the tournament which pits the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) against Windward Islands.  
Kelly will have what could be a baptism of fire when he stands alongside ICC Elite Umpire Billy Doctrove in a likely heated mega clash between the star-studded Jamaicans and reigning CT20 champions Guyana, while Duguid will share duties with Nero the following night as Canada take on Friends Provident T20 champions Hampshire Royals.
The other umpires appointed by the WICB are veterans Vincentian Goland Greaves and Jamaican Norman Malcolm.