First round U-19 franchise match rescheduled to Friday

The first round of the inaugural Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Under-19, 50-over Franchise Tournament, which was severely affected by rain, has been rescheduled to Friday (June 4) from 09:30h.

All matches to be played in the tournament are scheduled for the National Stadium, Providence, and have been realised through GCB’s partnership with General Marine, Tropical Spring, 4R Bearings and Trophy Stall.

The Tournament includes three teams- Falcons, Eagles and Amazon Hawks- which are being captained by Matthew Nandu, Zeynul Ramsammy and Marvan Prasad respectively.

As a result of the rescheduled first round match between Falcons and Eagles, Eagles’ second round win over Amazon Hawks, places them at the top of the points table with eight points.

In the meanwhile, Amazon Hawks sit quietly in the trees in the cellar position, awaiting their second and final round match against the Falcons. This match is scheduled for Saturday (June 5).

In indicating their decision to provide additional funding for the rescheduled first round match, the sponsors collectively expressed their satisfaction with the concept of the Under-19 Franchise Tournament, the enthusiasm and commitment shown by the players and their belief that their investment is going towards a worthy cause.

The sponsors indicated that the Under-19 players are at an important stage in their cricket development pathways. They indicated that the current Under-19 Tournament structure will help to adequately prepare the players for the progressive stages of West Indies Under-19, Guyana Senior and West Indies Senior teams.

The sponsors posited that the supportive environment, which they seek to provide is necessary for the growth and development of Guyana.

They encouraged the GCB to continue to build partnerships with the private business and to use the Livestream system to facilitate private business advertisements at reasonable prices.

They remarked that based on feedback from family members, and with the current COVID-19 situation, a number of persons are likely to tune into the Livestream with commentary feed on Youtube and Facebook.

This feature will now be enhanced by employing the services of a local internet provider. The sponsors concluded that with this sort of player development approach, Guyana and West Indies cricket has a bright future.

The tournament began on Saturday May 29, 2021, with Falcons taking on the Eagles, but was heavily affected by persistent rainfall, and eventually abandoned.

On Sunday May 30, 2021, although there was torrential rainfall until 11:00h, play was possible in the scheduled 50-over match between Eagles and Amazon Hawks, which was reduced to 27 overs a side, and Eagles emerging as the winner.

The remaining matches for the Tournament will be held on Friday June 4, 2021, with the rescheduled match between Falcons and Eagles. On Saturday June 5, 2021 the Amazon Hawks will challenge Falcons. Both matches begin at 09:30 hours.

The GCB trusts that this tournament will help to give the U-19 players an opportunity to be selected in the CWI U-19 Preparatory activities for the 2022 World Cup.

The GCB has arranged for an additional match to be played upon conclusion of the tournament on Sunday June 6, 2021 to involve the best performers from the tournament.

All matches will commence at 10:00 hours. The link for the livestream will be provided later.

Teams

Falcons: Matthew Nandu (Captain), Sheldon Charles, Sarwan Chaitnarine, Tomani Ceasar, Jason Holder, Addul Ramsammy, Jeremy Sandia, Andre Seepersaud (Vice-captain), Brandon Jaikaran, Wazim Mohamed, Pavindra Ganesh, Rudranauth Kissoon and Ajay Gainda. Manager: Yeuraj Khemraj; Coach: Julian Moore.

Eagles: Zeynul Ramsammy (Captain), Ricardo Ramdehol, Mavendra Dindyal (Vice-captain), Oren Gibson, Isai Thorne, Romal Hubbard, Chanderpaul Ramraj, Jonathan Rampersaud, Aryan Persaud, Daniel Mootoo, Chatram Balgobin, Nicko Vincent, Anthony Khan and Alvin Mohabir. Manager: Kumar Bissoondial; Coach: Orin Bailey.

Amazon Hawks: Marvan Prashad (Captain), Rampertab Ramnauth, Ushardeva Balgobin, Shamar Yearwood, Trevon Charles, Thaddius Lovell, Gourav Ramesh, Leon Cecil, Zachary Jodah (Vice-captain), Collis Noble, Niran Bissu, Anthony Williams and Jadesh Dowlatram. Manager: Shaun Massiah; Coach: Winston Smith. (GCB)