FORMER National U-19 opener Peter Persaud (1985 and ‘86) is now the Head Coach of the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), which was established in 1858 and was located at the Parade Ground opposite the Promenade Gardens.
Persaud, who also played for the Demerara Senior team, expressed satisfaction with the first week of the two-week 2026 Summer Camp. When Chronicle Sport visited the world-famous Bourda ground, which hosted the first-ever West Indies Test win in 1930 when the hosts beat England in the third Test of their first home series, the summer camp, divided into four categories, was in full swing.
for leg-spin
Ninety participants between ages 7 and 17, including a couple of girls, attended the camp, which ran from 9.00hrs to 13.00 hrs pm each weekday while most of their parents were present. The camp concludes this Friday.
Persaud informed that he was dealing with the ‘babies’ (7-10) while the other three coaches are former National off-spinner and present assistant Coach of Guyana’s senior team, Garvin Nedd, first-class player Akshaya Persaud, and former GDF batter Orin Bailey.
GCC held its first cricket summer camp in 1991 under GCC’s coach Harald ‘Doc’ Dhanraj.
Now, 35 years later, this generation has more distractions than those in the past. Some of the older boys were ‘pelting’ as they attempted to bowl.
“Some of these 14 and 15-year-olds here today have never played cricket before or bowled a ball… the younger ones are full of raw talent and are easier to be developed into good
cricketers when at this age. In the past, we played in the backyard with our parents, we played in the streets …but today, youngsters mostly play sports on their tablets.
I will pick out the best players and invite them to the Saturday morning sessions. If we can get 25 of the 90 (participants) interested in wanting to play cricket seriously, then I would say this camp has been a success” said Persaud, a former National senior team selector.
The first Saturday morning sessions started over 50 years ago by the late Desmond ‘Watto) Watkins, whose name and photograph are above the door of the home team’s dressing
room. That programme produced several national and international players, including former West Indies Captain Carl Hooper.
Persaud added that while not everyone here would end up playing even first division cricket, the aim was to have them active and have fun during their school vacation.
The 54-year-old Nedd, who has played 14 first-class matches for Guyana between 1994 and 2000, worked as the coach with the Guyana youth and senior teams and said he has seen some
talented youngsters he could work with, but stressed that the youths must have fun playing cricket.
Meanwhile, there is massive ground development at Bourda one of only two grounds in the world that hosted Test cricket below sea level. The other one is the Providence Stadium, also in Guyana.
The club has purchased a state-of-the-art Heavy roller.
According to GCC’s President Graham Ali, who assumed the top position when Don Singh passed on June 27, the light polls are already in place, while the floodlights will be installed by December.
