PUGNACIOUS Demerara Cricket Club opener Andrew Lyght Jr was yesterday named in the Demerara team to do battle in this year’s Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)-organised, Pepsi-sponsored Senior Inter-County 50 overs competition, which is set to commence this Saturday.

While Lyght Jr who was first called to the Demerara team three years ago has found favour with the Senior Selection Committee of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) which is being led by Nazimul Drepaul, the same cannot be said for his DCC teammate Kemol Savory, Raj Nannan, Dennis Legay and Seon Daniels.
Savory was hoping to take charge of the glove work ahead of discarded national wicketkeeper/batsman Derwin Christian, but was unable to convince the selectors and was placed on the standby list alongside Daniels, Nannan, Legay, Yatesh Dhanpaul and West Indies Under-19 selectee and national opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul.
Guyana and West Indies T20 all-rounder Christopher Barnwell has been entrusted with the captaincy of the team which also includes his Guyana Amazon Warriors teammates in Steven Jacobs and Trevon Griffith.
Three other opening batsmen, Rajendra Chandrika and Shemroy Barrington, who both have experience for Guyana at the first class level and the left-handed Robin Bacchus-who recently made his debut when Guyana played Trinidad and Tobago in two T20 practice matches, are also included in the 14 man squad.
Former first class off-spinner Zaheer Mohamed-Shadir, first class leg-spinner Amir Khan and Malteenoes Sports Club’s off-spinning all-rounder Shaquille Williams, who earlier this year stroked a wonderful half-century in the four-day tournament for Demerara, are listed as the spinners in the lineup, alongside Jacobs.
Paul Wintz, Kellon Carmichael and Andre Stoll who holds the distinct privilege of being the lone left-arm fast bowler in the Land of Many Waters, are the men charged with taking care of the fast bowling department, with amicable support from Barnwell.
Meanwhile, in an invited comment with Chronicle Sport, Barnwell said he was pleased with the compilation of the team, saying it’s a mixture of youth and experience, with several players showing tremendous form ahead of the tournament.
“I think this is a good team, one that is blended with some senior players who are available and promising junior ones as well, who to my mind are fit and ready to go out there and defend the title we won last year, with some of them being hungry for success and eager to showcase their talent.
“With that in mind, I believe that once we play to our true potential – which I expect everyone to do – and put in the extra effort where and when needed, then I don’t see any reason why we cannot come away with the title once again, knowing that the other counties especially Berbice will be looking to dethrone us,” posited Barnwell.
And while it was listed in yesterday’s edition of the Chronicle Sport that the team would have had a practice match at the Camp Road-based Everest Cricket Club ground, same was postponed due to the unfit condition of that venue, forcing coach Orin Bailey and his team to revert to the DCC ground, where they conducted match assimilation exercises.
Demerara play their opening game of this year’s tournament, which is being used as a yard stick to select the Guyana national team for next year’s Regional Super50 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago, against Essequibo at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground this Saturday, from 09:00hrs.
The Demerara team reads: Christopher Barnwell (captain), Steven Jacobs, Trevon Griffith, Robin Bacchus, Andrew Lyght, Rajendra Chandrika, Shemroy Barrington, Derwin Christian, Zaheer Mohammed, Amir Khan, Andre Stoll, Paul Wintz, Kellon Carmichael and Shaquille Williams.
The six standby players are: Kemol Savory, Dennis Legay, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Yatesh Dhanpaul, Seon Daniels and Raj Nannan.