Local umpire, Ryan Banwarie, is set to make his on-field, first-class debut in the sixth round of the West Indies Championship where table leaders, Barbados Pride and Windward Islands Volcanoes clash from February 27 to March 1.
Banwarie, 30, began his career in 2013 while playing for the Police Sports Club. Then, former international umpire Edward ‘Eddie’ Nichols, approached him to join the classes. He subsequently topped the Caribbean at the final written examination of the West Indies Cricket Umpires Association.
Since then, Banwarie has elevated himself through the ranks after being promoted to the Cricket West Indies `B’ panel in 2016. That year he made his regional debut in a women’s tournament hosted in Guyana with Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago also playing.
He featured in five 50-overs and six T20 matches in the competition. He was also a standby umpire on seven occasions.
In 2017, Banwarie officiated in five matches in the Regional U15, five more matches in the 2018 edition in Jamaica and five matches in the U17 Regional tournament in Trinidad and Tobago. The year 2018 also saw him officiating in one on-field match. He was placed on standby four times in the women’s 50 overs and on standby five times in the T20.
Last year, he was part of the Regional U19 tournament, doing four matches on field and was a stand by umpire once.
Banwarie said that he would like to thank his family and colleagues for their support as well as his employers who facilitated his umpiring career. He also noted contributions from umpire coach, Peter Nero, Arleigh Rutherford, Shannon Crawford and Nigel Duguid.
Meanwhile, the Georgetown Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association, of which he is the vice-president and chairman of the body’s training and examining committee, has extended congratulations to him ahead of his debut.
President of the Association, Rutherford stated, “While I am excited about his recent promotion, I am in no way surprised since Banwarie has always shown the potential to advance to the highest level,” adding, “this is consistent with his steady climb up the umpiring ladder.
