ECC and GYO to clash for supremacy on Sunday
BOTH Everest Cricket Club and Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO) will have a score to settle this Sunday, when they clash in the inaugural De Sinco Group of Companies-sponsored Indian Arrival Day (IAD) Lipton Tea Cup at the former’s ground from 09:0hrs. According to Chief Executive Officer of De Sinco Group of Companies, Frank De Abreu, his company has always been committed to sports, drama, poetry, other extracurricular activities and allied arts in Guyana.
“Today we will be looking at cricket, as we are here to celebrate the launching of the Lipton Tea Cup, whose purpose is to commemorate the Indians’ arrival to Guyana and there is no doubt that the top two Indian clubs are Everest and GYO who will start the tournament,” said De Abreu.
According to De Abreu, who is an ardent sports fan, many years ago Cosmos Sports Club would engage Everest for the Raja Cup but that has died away and is lost in some part of Guyana’s cricketing history since the early 70s.
He said he is looking to return to the kind of competitiveness that was known to be associated with those days through the Lipton Tea Cup, starting with Sunday’s fixture which will see the winner hold on to a lien trophy. A club needs to win three consecutive matches to keep the Lipton Tea Cup, while a man-of-the-match trophy will be up for grabs as well.
Lunch for all the first division players and specially selected Under-13 players from both clubs, a special guest and other first division club captains will be arranged.
“Come August, Gandhi will be taking on Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) in a similar match dubbed the Emancipation Challenge which will be played to commemorate Emancipation Month.
“For Sunday’s match, we will be honouring a Guyanese of East Indian descent who has made a contribution to the game of cricket whether that individual’s contribution came in the form of a cricketer, umpire, journalist, groundsman, scorer or even coach.
“You may not have to be Guyana’s best cricketer, but your contribution to the game will be recognised and come August, it will be observed to an outstanding Afro-Guyanese as well,” stated De Abreu.
Meanwhile, both Surendra Hiralall and Troy Gonsalves, the captains of GYO and Everest respectively, expressed confidence ahead of Sunday’s match to the extent that a squad was selected and decimated to the media from both teams.
Sunday’s match will be played in the traditional white outfit with red ball and will be a 50-over affair, with both teams being met by an official of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, who will be asked to assist with the distribution of prizes.
The squads selected are Everest from: Troy Gonsalves, Joseph Perry, Amir Khan, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Dayanand Roopnarine, Christopher Surat, Rafael Singh, Vijay Narine, Saheed Mohammed, Adrian Singh, Javed Rasheed, Rishi Hiralall, Shafayne Rutherford, Dinesh Mangal, Yuvraj Dyal and Zaheer Mohammed.
GYO from: Surendra Hiralall, Abhilash Dookie, Abdool Rahra, Anthony Ifill, Garfield De Rouche, Shiveshwar Sankar, Shivanandan Roopnarine, Rajesh Persaud, Lakeram Goberdhan, Ryan Shaun, Richard Hoyte, Triston Liverpool, Dwayne De Barros, Wayne Warner and John Champayner.