(In association with Wartsila Operations Guyana Inc, Lifetime Real Management, P &P Insurance Brokers, Star Party Rentals and Trophy Stall)
CAPTAIN of the Guyana National Under-17 Cricket Team, Travis Persaud, is confident that his team will return home as the champions of this year’s West Indies Cricket Board Regional Under-17 competition.

The competition which is being played in Tobago saw Guyana open their title hunt against the Windward Islands who  inflicted a  thrashing on the local side.
However, speaking to Chronicle Sport, Persaud said that they are working very hard to win. “We are aiming for the silverware as we have a great squad and I am confident that as the captain of the team we can return home with that silverware,” he said.
He said that the competition is on the mind of every member of the national team, taking into consideration that they have never won a regional title at this level.  Persaud, however, noted that because of Guyana’s record of winning at every level while the pressure is on, he wants his charges to remain focused on what, he said, is their immediate job at hand.
This, he said, is playing every game one match at a time so as to alleviate the pressure and tension that he admitted is there.
The Guyana team had winged out last Saturday but went into action against Windward on Monday which saw then suffer a humiliating defeat. “The guys are fit and ready and according to our coach he feels that we are very fit for the tournament. We are aiming to follow our coach’s advice on being very focused and disciplined as once that is achieved we are confident that we can return as  a proud and accomplished team,” he reiterated.
He said that while he has no regional experience at captaining a national team he is up to the task and intends to do his best thus enhancing Guyana’s chances. “At this stage I am trying to focus on the positives as they are several of them and I firmly believe that if the other players adopt this method then we have nothing to fear,” he said.
Persaud echoed similar sentiments that the coach had said in another interview in which he stated his intention to see the team do very well.
He stressed that he would like to see them take the momentum that they had during the inter-county competition adding that they are very confident and excited to showcase their skills and talent at the regional competition.
He, however, pointed out that he foresees the toughest match being against Trinidad and Tobago noting that this is because they play similar cricket to Guyana’s style. He said that if the game plan is followed Guyana will be the victorious team.
Meanwhile, when asked the similar question Persaud said that every game will be taken as it is the toughest as he has no intentions of underestimating any team.
“At this stage you cannot underestimate any team as I see all teams capable of winning this competition and therefore we are focused on eliminating their chances,” he said.
Persaud declared that with several options and a strong team in both batting and bowling, he has a lot of options to win this year’s tournament.
“We have an excellent team and with several options, we can certainly bring home the silverware, once we play to the best of our ability,” he said.