GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday, March 13, 2018
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Drepaul excited about Guyana’s ‘talent pool’ of cricketers By Rajiv Bisnauth THE local governing body for cricket here, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), has just concluded two youth Inter-county cricket tournaments, at the Under-15 and Under-17 levels, and, based on some personal performances, there is definitely a promising future for Guyana’s cricket. According to chairman of the GCB’s junior selectors, Nazimul Drepaul, there’s no shortage of cricketing talent within Guyana’s junior ranks, adding that Guyana’s cricket looks good for the future. Drepaul made the com-
ment on Sunday in an exclusive interview following the conclusion of the Inter-county Under-17 one-day tournament. “Talent’s not our problem in Guyana. We’ve got plenty of talented young cricketers as you can see during the Under-15 and Under-17 tournaments,” Drepaul said. He added, “While there were a number of players we see have that raw talent, I feel that Mavendra Dindyal, Jonathan Rampersaud, Isia Thorne, Mahendra Gopilall and Nicholas Rajpat, just to name a few of the Under-15s, are extremely talented cricketers,”
Further Drepaul point-
ed out that from the Un-
Nazimul Drepaul hands over the man-of-the-match trophy to Seon Glasgow for his hundred against the National Select Under-15 team during the just concluded Inter-county Under-17 tournament.
der-17 tournament the likes of: Sachin Singh, Navendra Persaud, Andre Seepersaud, Nyron Bissu, Jevon Schultz, Nigel Deodat, Seon Glasgow, Badesh Parsotam and Sylvain, Williams are all for the future. Meanwhile, a 14-man national Under-15 squad is expected to be released shortly for the regional tournament, which will run from March 26 to April 5 in Jamaica. Drepaul is optimistic of Guyana’s chances, saying while there’s plenty of talk about a ‘war on talent’, preparation is the key. “What the GCB has done over the years is to include
the national Under-15 squad into the Inter-county Under-17 tournament in order for continuous preparation. This has definitely helped us in terms of domination at the regional level. The Guyana Under-15s have reached a high level, winning the regional tournament in Jamaica 2014 and in Guyana 2015 while ending as runners-up in 2016. The Under-15 tournament – in its 23rd year – will be contested under a round-robin format, featuring five rounds of matches with the team accumulating the most points being declared champions.
You made us proud Sachia, good luck in the future on behalf of Guyana – Dr Norton By Rawle Toney FOLLOWING her straight-set loss to Naomi Osaka on Sunday, Sachia Vickery waved goodbye to the Indian Wells, but Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton, who also holds the responsibility for sports, said the tennis ace’s run at the tournament should be heralded by all Guyanese as he extended congratulations to the US-based player. Despite being born in the USA, throughout her tennis career, Vickery identified herself with the ‘roots’ of her parents Paula Liverpool and Rawle Vickery, who hail from Kwakwani and Linden respectively, in Region 10. “I might not have been born in Guyana, but I tell people I’m Guyanese. All my family, my parents are from Guyana and people from here support me a
Sachia Vickery, along with her mother Paula Liverpool, brother and manager Dominique Mitchell, is seen with Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton, during her recent visit to Guyana. (Samuel Maughn photo)
lot whenever I play. They would reach out to me personally, or to my mom, so it’s only right that I return,” Vickery told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Dr Norton, during her visit to Guyana in January. The Golden Arrowhead was seen being undulated passionately by her family as she stunned the world with a sensation come-from-behind victory over 2017 Wim-
bledon Champion Garbiñe Muguruza (2-6, 7-5, 6-1) in the second round of the tournament. Before facing the world’s third-ranked Muguruza, Vickery easily disposed of Canadian Eugenie Bouchard (6-3, 6-4) in the first round. In fact, Vickery had to play two qualifying matches before making it to the main draw for Indian Wells, which is considered one of
Tennis’ biggest tournaments outside of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open). Minister Norton, speaking on NCN’s Vybz 100.1FM yesterday, that it was imperative for him to congratulate the budding tennis star on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, since she has shown an interest in representing
the ‘Land of the Mighty Kaieteur’ at the Tokyo Olympic Games and other international tournaments. Minister Norton stated that Vickery should serve as an inspiration to young Guyanese women in the sports fraternity, since because of her diminutive stature, she is oftentimes out-matched by her opposition, but she uses her strength, both physically and mentally, to find her way to success. “I want to say to Sachia, on behalf of everyone in Guyana, ‘congrats and well played. This is just the beginning to the great things in place and once you keep working hard, many more doors will be opened’. I watched the match, I saw her really digging deep and I said, ‘that’s the Guyanese spirit’, so I hope she continues to do well,” said Dr Norton. Vickery, during her visit, also spoke with the president of the Guyana Olympic
Association (GOA) K. Juman-Yassin about the process of representing Guyana, and Dr Norton hopes all systems are put in place to accommodate the 22-year-old. “I believe that can also open the doors for others who are out there and playing at a high level. We see it happen with other Caribbean countries, especially Jamaica;, so it’s important that we (Guyana) are accommodating in whatever way with those kind of athletes, since others will be looking on to see how we really deal with professional athletes, playing at a high-level and signalling their intention to represent us,” Norton added. Vickery, who is also a former USTA Girls U-18 National Champion, will next suit up for the Miami Open, another Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) mandatory tournament, which serves off on March 20.
Pakistan gets Windies boost with T20 series in Karachi
(REUTERS) - International cricket’s slow trickle back into Pakistan continues with West Indies set to play a three-match Twenty20 series in Karachi in the first week of April, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has announced. The south Asian country
has remained largely starved of international cricket since the 2009 attack on a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, wounding six players and a British coach and killing eight Pakistanis. The incident forced Pakistan to play nearly all of their home matches in the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan have since hosted Zimbabwe, a World XI, and a Sri Lanka team for limited overs matches, all at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. “Good news! West Indies have agreed to play 3 T20 matches in Karachi on April 1, 2 and 4,” Sethi tweeted.
Karachi will also host the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on March 25. “Lahore had Zimbabwe, PSL2 Final, ICC XI and Sri Lanka. Now it is Karachi’s turn to rise and shine with PSL3 Final and WI,” Sethi added. International Cricket
Council’s security consultant Reg Dickason will visit Karachi during the PSL final to assess security arrangement for the Twenty20 series. “Their expert will stay back for seven days and conduct the security for West Indies series. This is part of our agreement with
the West Indies board,” Sethi told reporters, adding PCB was unlikely to make any profit from the series. “This will be a oneoff series ... it will be a loss-making enterprise. The idea wasn’t to make money, it was to bring cricket back, so this is a step in that direction.”