DESPITE the late notice, yesterday at the National Gymnasium the One Guyana Janet Jagan Birth Anniversary School Girls Windball Cricket Championships was officially launched by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr.
Minister Ramson told the gathering of 16 Secondary schools from all three counties in Guyana that it was because Janet Jagan was the first and only President of Guyana that this competition was named after her.

“That is one of the reasons we made this a girls-only competition for you are associating with someone…Janet Jagan… who has done so many things for this country over many, many decades. So that you can know that you can go all the way to the top and can do anything that a male can do that you can’t do or even do better” Minister Ramson said.
“Over the next few weeks you are participating in this tournament you will be able to play against each other but at the same time, you have to learn to play with each other. In team sports, you have to learn to work with each other and
at the same time learn how to win.

The teams that are the most united, and cohesive, all together, are the ones best able to win.
At our Ministry, we focus on building a strong team and lead, because girls can also lead” posited Minister Ramson.
Ramson, who played first-division cricket for Everest, told the girls that there would be a special prize for the top two teams.
“I want you to explore the Country a little bit so we give you a trip to Fort Zeelandia where you can go as a group. So you will have a guided tour for the entire day… you are going to go on a boat, to the Fort, Museum and get a history lesson and you take pictures and put them on your Facebook” The
Minister added before facing the first ball to declare the
tournament open.

The organiser of the National Sports Commission (NSC) school girls' Windball cricket competition; Allister Munroe, informed that Windball cricket was first organised 31 years ago and disclosed that students in the past were given the opportunity to participate in the West Indies Championships.
“From this tournament, we will select the players for the 2024 West Indies Windball tournament scheduled for Barbados.
He thanked his colleagues in NSC for the late push to ensure that this tournament is staged. Munroe stated the emphasis was usually on the Georgetown teams, but this year there are teams from all over the Country while there are no
schools from the City involved.

Also speaking was Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle who this tournament, named after Guyana’s only female President, was aptly named since Janet Jagan fought for Democracy.
“She is someone who ‘mothered’ this country in some of its more difficult times. I say that to say this… you would find during the course of this competition difficult times, but you must be able to fight on as Mrs Jagan did to make sure that your team comes out as a winner”

I am very happy that is for females alone because of the fact that there are not many things put aside and specialised. We should give the organisers a round of applause for this” continued the DS who noted that every year the competition is improving in development.

Commissioner of the NSC Chateram Ramdihal while Assistant Director of Sport Franklyn Wilson performedthe duties of Master of Ceremonies.