Drubahadur urges U19 cricket team to successfully defend title

Guyana’s national U19 cricket team, the defending Regional champions, left yesterday morning for Jamaica where they will look to retain the title in the 2015 West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) competition which bowls off tomorrow.

According to a press release, President of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Drubahadur yesterday met with the team prior to its departure and wished the team a safe and successful trip.

He reminded the players of their dominance last year and said that it would be a phenomenal achievement if they repeat the success this year especially since they would not be playing at home.

GCB President Drubahadur (center) surrounded by members of the Guyana U19 side.
GCB President Drubahadur (center) surrounded by members of the Guyana U19 side.

Territorial Development Officer (TDO) Colin Stuart also congratulated the players for making the team and acknowledged their dedication to the preparatory training. He noted that the weather was not favourable during the preparation but he said that he was happy with the eagerness they showed to get as much practice as possible. Stuart called on the players to know their limitations and work towards their strengths and always put the team goals ahead of their personal goals. Guyana’s opening match will be against Jamaica tomorrow while they will play against Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday, the Leeward Islands on Saturday, Barbados on July 27, the Windward Islands on July 30, and the ICC Americas on July 31. The final will be contested on August 2.

The Guyana team reads: Travis Persaud (Captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Tevin Imlach, Parmesh Parsotam, Balchand Baldeo , Kemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed (Vice-Captain), Parmanand Ramdhan, Kassim Khan, Nathan Persaud, Akshaya Persaud, Akenie Adams, Grisean Grant. The Manager is David Black and the Coach is Adrian Amsterdam.

This year the Under-19 Tournament will only involve the 50-Over format which is in an attempt to give the players enough practice for the 2016 World Cup which will be held in Bangladesh from January 22 to February 14, next year.