KNOWN as the ‘Perennial Whipping’ boys on the local Inter-county stage, the senior selection committee of the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) last Saturday morning named a strong 14 man squad to contest this year’s Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) organised Pepsi sponsored Senior Inter-county 50 overs tournament.
National T20 selectee Dillon Heyliger and former Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) fast bowler Gilford Moore are some of the players listed in the Royan Fredericks led squad who play their first game this Saturday against the defending champions Demerara at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground.
Following their opening encounter, Essequibo who will be without the services of national fast bowler Ronsford Beaton-who is on West Indies ‘A’ team duties in India, will take on Berbice in their final round fixture on Saturday 26th September at the same venue for their first game.
Heyliger was selected to represent Guyana in the 2012 West Indies Cricket Board Caribbean T20 tournament, but found it difficult to make the final 11, while Moore played a few games for CCC in that said contest.
Their experience coupled with that of Fredericks, Heyliger’s older brother Jason and the unrelated Adams in Anthony and Ricardo, should ensure a great showing for the Cinderella County lineup in this year’s tournament.
Also named in the squad is national Under-19 spinner Herry Greene, who since his introduction to the senior team three years ago, during the ECB’s rebuilding process, has never looked back, always finding favor with the selectors.
The vast improving Kemo Paul and Mark Tyrell, will add valuable support to Moore in the fast bowling department, with Heyliger and the relatively unknown Sheldon Alexander will also add support to the quick bowlers.
Anthony Adams, Greene, Jason Heyliger and to an extent Ricardo Adams, will take care of Essequibo’s spin bowling department, looking to defend amicably well any total posted by their batting lineup which includes Fredericks, Ricardo Peters, Dillon and Jason Heyliger, Vishwanauth Lall, Vijay Surujpaul and Kevon Boodie.
The full 14 man squad reads: Royan Fredericks (captain), Anthony Adams (Vice-captain), Ricardo Adams, Ricardo Peters, Jason Heyliger, Sheldon Alexander, Dillon Heyliger, Mark Tyrell, Vishwanauth Lall, Kevon Boodie, Vijay Surujpaul, Herry Greene, Kemo Paul and Gilford Moore.
