THE Guyana National U- 21 Baseball team, known as the `Kanima ladies’, returned from an eventful tour of Canada where they competed in Baseball Canada’s Inaugural U-21 Women’s Invitational.The team began the tournament nervously against Newfoundland Province and were dealt a 16-1 defeat,despite an outstanding performance by Ianna Graham,who functioned as a relief pitcher.
The second game was played against hosts Nova Scotia, who were too sharp for the tourists;winning 15-0.However,’Kanima Ladies’performance was far better than that reflected in the final scoreline.After this game, the team was treated to a clinic by Trevor Wamback , technical director of Baseball Nova Scotia. He was assisted by the head-coach and players of the Nova Scotia team.
The final group stage game was played against eventual champions Quebec, who were in a must-win game to advance.The potential of Guyana’s baseball talent was better showcased in this match as the team played intelligent baseball to score two runs against a powerful defensive unit.The team came in for much praise after this effort against a well-oiled Quebec unit.
According to a report from team-manager Robin Singh, “the Girls were outstanding ambassadors of Guyana at the Caribana Heritage Festival, and were Guests-of-Honor of major team sponsor Fly Jamaica Airlines at the Guyana Last Lap festivities in Woodbridge Park.After four days of events and sightseeing, it was on to Halifax for the business end of the tour.”
“The attendance of a team from Guyana at such a prestigious event caused quite a stir in Halifax and garnered much media attention for Guyana, Women’s baseball and the tournament in general,” he continued.
Singh and the ladies thanked the National Sports Commission, the Berbice High School,and the efforts of Baseball Guyana in making such an historic tour possible.Tournament- Chair Holly La Pierre came in for high praise for the level of sportsmanship displayed by the Guyanese ladies.
The ladies also engaged in a pre-game dance-off to Machel Montano’s Bring the Beat against Team Quebec.
The squad was hosted by Guyanese residents of Halifax who also attended the games and were overjoyed to see the Golden Arrowhead proudly displayed in the team dugout.
The tour was not without incident,as budget and other restrictions meant reduction in the size of the squad,with Singh expressing disappointment at some of the misinformation peddled about the tour and said that a tour review would be done to see where improvements could be made
“There were a few complaints from players,for example,that rice and curry were not available.These were surprising to me personally, but I do realise that many had never travelled before and they should have been briefed on differences of culture before leaving.”
Asked about future plans for female baseball , Singh stated “we are going to build on this initial tour; we have received numerous invitations to other tournaments in the United States and Canada.We have to pick our spots and secure sponsorship before committing to travel.Our aim is to prepare for the Phoenix Cup in Hong Kong in January, while dates and venues for open try-outs will be announced shortly.”