The scheduled start of the annual Guyana and Trinidad Mutual Fire and Life Insurance Company sponsored Inter-County competition got off to a false start yesterday.
The Essequibo and Demerara teams were scheduled to contest the opening round of the three-day competition at the Uitvlugt Community Development Centre ground yesterday morning.
However the umpires were forced to call off the match at around 3pm yesterday after an inspection of the cricket pitch found that water had leaked through the covers and onto the pitch.
The situation was remedied by the Guyana Cricket Board which produced more watertight covers and the latest word was that officials are hopeful that the pitch will dry in time for the game to be played today from 9.30am.
Asked how the postponement has affected Essequibo, Team Manager, Alvin Johnson, said that while the rain had dampened the field, it will not touch his team’s spirit, and they are still enthusiastic about getting out on the field.
Commenting in general of his expectations for his team, Johnson said that they have been on the back benches for too long and this time around he thinks his team is a little more ready.
“We just came out from a four-day encampment and during that encampment we focused on the mental aspect of the game as much as we focused on the cricket,” Johnson stated.
“We’ve been the whipping boys for too long. Even if we do not win we want to be more competitive than in the past,” he said.
For the past few tournaments the Essequibo team has been lagging behind the other two county teams.
Johnson observed that this was due to the other two counties having more opportunities for competitions and so were gaining more practical experience. “The reason is that much more cricket, much more competitive cricket is played in the other two counties as such their cricketers are more geared and prepared.”
Demerara Team Manager, Orin Hutson, too credited the Berbice team’s continuous victory to the fact that the team took part in a lot of tournaments.
He stated that he was disappointed by the weather condition because the match would now be played in a shortened form and would not allow the players to utilize their full potential.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work with these youngsters, ensuring they can peak in their game,” stated Hutson. ”The shortened form of the match takes away from seeing all their talents. You can’t get the best out of the players,” he added.
The game is expected to begin at 09:30 hrs today and go until 17:30 hrs. However, in case of persistent inclement weather the match will be cancelled and both teams will be awarded four points.
