The Regional Women’s Super50 and T20 Blaze, marks its return this month after a two-year hiatus and Guyana Women’s head coach, Julian Moore, is eager to bring home their maiden title.
The experienced Level Three coach is no stranger to winning, lifting three regional under-19 and two regional under-15 titles, along with major contributions to the success of Guyana’s first-class program.
But this will be a new challenge for Moore as he takes up the position for the first time. Stabroek Sport caught up with him where he shared his perspective.
“I’ve done Under-19 women before so that experience will surely hold me in good stead for this new journey. It’s a bit different from my previous roles but I’m excited for the challenge ahead. Guyana had never won a women’s title and that’s something I’m very eager to change.”
Moore has been working with the ladies for the past few months and paid keen attention to their performances during the Inter-County tournaments. He revealed that they were happy to represent their country once again.
“It was good to see some of the girls being consistent, getting hundreds and big hundreds and being able to follow up with other good scores. It shows that they’re learning and improving. On the flip side, we would have loved to see more competitive games, more girls getting scores and taking wickets,” the coach added.
The Berbician explained that the tournament saw not just the experienced group doing the job but the hunger and passion of the younger players who forced their way into the side.
“We have pretty good team, a good mix of youth and experience. Obviously, our West Indies girls bring a level of experience and professionalism to the set-up which can rub off positively on everyone else. For us, it’s about tapping into that and making sure we are giving ourselves a chance every time.”
Moore went on to add, “Both Sherica Campbell and Ashmini Munisar had good performances at the Inter-County tournaments and were key pieces to Berbice winning. I’m optimistic of them coming into the set up and making a name for themselves at the regional level and ultimately contributing significantly to Guyana’s success.”
With the mixture, Moore believes the side will be working on ticking all the boxes and finding the right combinations and methods to come out successful.
He opined that while playing at home, familiar conditions and crowd support are advantages, while the pressure of performing could prove a bit taxing as well.
The squad reads: Shemaine Campbell (captain), Shabika Gajnabi (vice-captain), Cherry-Ann Fraser, Katana Mentore, Sherica Campbelle, Sheneta Grimmond, Plaffianna Millington, Kaysia Schultz, Tremayne Smartt, Erva Giddings, Mandy Mangru, Kumarie Persaud, Ashmini Munisar, and Lashuna Toussaint. The reserves are Heema Singh, Dian Prahalad, Latisha Jordan and Naffeza Sabar.
The Super50 Cup matches will be played at three venues from June 7 to 17 – Everest Cricket Club, Enmore Cricket Ground, and the Guyana National Stadium. The T20 Blaze will be from June 19 to 25 and there will be three matches per day, starting at 10:00hrs, 14:30hrs and 19:00hrs under lights at Providence.
