For years, Essequibo has been the least competitive of the three counties and Essequibo Coach Ryan Hercules is calling for the administrators and female cricketers to band together in an effort to lift the standard of female cricket in the county even as Chairman of Selectors Rayon Griffith sees potential in the county.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport at the conclusion of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) 50 overs senior female Inter-County tournament which was won by Berbice for the fifth consecutive year and the abandonment of the T20 version, Hercules said it is baffling why the Cinderella County has performed so poorly over such a long time.
He, nevertheless is confident that changes can occur.
President of the Essequibo Cricket Board, Faizal Bacchus, when contacted, refused to comment on the performances of the county.
Essequibo were dismissed for 40 in their first match against Demerara after failing to come up with a full squad.
Two days later they were routed for 13, the lowest total at this level.
With no management staff, Hercules took up the challenge in the second match where he noted, there was a lot of work to be done.
Disregarding the batting performance, Hercules said that there were some major improvements the girls could have taken from the experience, particularly in the bowling department.
Essequibo struggled to take a wicket in their first match but in the second, against a strong Berbice side, Essequibo picked up five key wickets with Mayon Boson picking up four well-deserved wickets in the match.
“The performance was not the best from the ladies but when you have ladies that haven’t played any cricket and some who only played a handful of games in their career, this was always going to be the outcome,” Hercules said.
The former Guyana Under-19 star said that the fielding improved drastically since he was with the team.
Griffith noted that while there was not enough cricket to judge the women it was excellent to see them turning out and playing.
He said that generally women cricket tends to be a difficult division to get players since a lot of parents do not want to have their daughters travelling so far, among other reasons.
“While it may be a challenge nevertheless the interest is there and in order to develop the sport we are looking to bring the game in the schools as we seek talent throughout the country,” Griffith said.
Disappointed about the abandonment of the T20 leg, Hercules suggested that it would not have been that easy to defeat the women from Essequibo as it was in the 50 overs format.
He recommended a system where all the zones work with women in the area, selecting the best players from each zone to make up an Essequibo squad.
He also suggests a two week camp for the girls prior to the tournament.
Griffith said he wanted to encourage the general population to support the GCB’s raffle where the proceeds will go towards the development of women cricket in Guyana.
Tickets are available at the GCB office, Regent Street and are priced at $200.
