COMING off the back of a solid calendar year, Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Territorial Developmental Officer (TDO) Colin Stuart, believes 2023 can surpass the efforts and goals achieved this year, as the new year promises much more for the country’s premier sport.

GCB managed to bowl off over 40 programmes in 2022, most of which were directed towards development of youths, women and coaches.
With massive support from the Government of Guyana, including His Excellency, President Dr Irfaan Ali, who has thrown overwhelming support behind the GCB executives and president Bissoondyal Singh, the board has managed to settle into their roles and focus solely on taking Guyana’s cricket to the highest level, locally, regionally and internationally.

Battling other aspects ranging from getting the system back to normal post a rampaging COVID-19 period, to focusing on more infrastructural-oriented moves which will further ensure cricket reaches every inch of Guyana, Stuart said the GCB has had a rough but highly-successful 2022.

Stuart, a former West Indies Test pacer and one of the longest-serving GCB executives over the past few years, told Chronicle Sport that cricket is on the rise and 2023 can most certainly eclipse this year.

Some highlights of 2022 saw coaches complete the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Level 1 Coaching Course which was held in April 2022.
Individuals with the CWI Foundation Coaching Course Certificate or the ICC (Online) Coaching Coach Certificate were also eligible to participate in the Course.

Coaches who submitted the relevant supporting documents of the First Aid Certificate, Child Protection Certificate, and Police Clearance within the given timeframe were issued the CWI Level One Coaching Certificate.

In support of this requirement, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) arranged First Aid Courses for the coaches to attend, with the most recent course being held in Georgetown in October 2022.
Another aspect of youth development focuses on the historic birth of the Republic Bank Five For Fun (RBFFF) Cricket Programme in Guyana, which was officially launched on June 21, 2022, at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The programme witnessed the commencement of two significant aspects of coaching education activities, the training of teachers as cricket coaches and the training of students within various hubs across the country.

This Cricket Programme is also set to continue from mid-January 2023 with the training across schools. It will be followed soon after by a zonal competition between primary schools.
The Inaugural Bilateral Under-13 Goodwill Series between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago which was held from December 11 to17, helped cap off a solid year of Inter-Regional youth cricket.

This regional mini-tournament highlighted a critical aspect of the developmental pathway of players involved. The intention of the Under-13 Programme according to Stuart, was so the GCB can further expose players to a solid foundation that will aid the development of their game as individual players and team players.

By players learning the recommended ways to bat, bowl and field at an early age, as well as the mental applications required in competitions, the GCB is of the view that young players will be in a better position to master their technical and mental skills.

GCB continued its planning to implement 18 Academies across the country. Currently, a detailed plan is being examined for implementation.
A Pre-Kick-Off meeting was held for the relevant stakeholders to provide them with an overview of the Academy Programme’s needs and requirements.

Several facilitators presented on the respective topics of interest of the Academy Programme. This included information on technical, skill, fitness, mental, diet and nutrition, and lifestyle of the players.

Topics on Etiquette and communication including Public Speaking were addressed. The GCB’s Academy programe is expected to commence within the first half of 2023.
Efforts to structure female cricket continued during 2022 with training sessions in Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo. These activities were mainly conducted prior to the Female Under-19 and Senior Inter-County Tournaments.

Furthermore, the national senior team, the Guyana Harpy Eagles, intensified their training after the conclusion of the 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
This effort saw the team bat their way to the semi-finals of the CG United Super50 Cup. The Harpy Eagles are currently preparing for the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Four-Day Championship 2023.

Additionally, GCB has identified and engaged 17 Emerging players in the GHE training programme, further widening their selection pool for the foreseeable future.
In all, GCB, according to Stuart, has managed, despite their ups and downs, to stabilise, expose and develop a number of young players by virtue of the aforementioned programmes and tournaments, while ensuring that 2023 yields more success for cricket in Guyana, across the board.