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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018
Ireland, Bangladesh optimistic ahead of ICC T20 World Cup By Michelangelo Jacobus AT a press conference yesterday at the Marriott Hotel, the respective captains of Bangladesh and Ireland women’s team, Salma Khatun and Laura Delany, both expressed optimism as regards to their team’s chances at the fast-approaching ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The two teams will head into action tomorrow when they clash in the first official warm-up match here in Guyana at Guyana National Stadium, Providence. Ireland’s Delany noted that while the “conditions are very different from back home, we’re quite happy; we had a couple of good sessions and we’re looking forward to acclimatising as soon as we can ahead of our first warm-up match against Bangladesh.” She also revealed that the team has different targets and strategies that they set for different teams.
Meanwhile, she also pointed out that the experience against New Zealand and Bangladesh in recent months will be valuable. Some of the key players for Ireland will be 17-year-old Gaby Lewis who bats at number three, 22-yearold all-rounder Kim Garth and 35-year-old Isobel Joyce who is one of the most experienced player in the current side. 26-year-old Delany, who was appointed captain just last month also posited that since the last World T20, Ireland have learnt a lot. “The game has evolved and we are trying to challenge ourselves and we have targets set for each game, I’m pretty confident that with all the hard work we put in over the last 18 months we will be able to meet our targets.” Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Khatun also underscored the importance of preparation, noting that she’s happy with the composition of the team. We have a variety of players, they
have worked very hard for the last year and a half, I’m very hopeful that we’ll do well at the world cup.” One of Bangladesh’s main goals, according to Khatun, will be to reach the ‘Super 4’ stage. “We’re hopeful about reaching the Super 4, it’s a challenge for us playing at this level; we’re hopeful nevertheless.” Ireland were the first team
Bangladeshi captain Salma Khatun
to arrive in Guyana on Monday night, while Bangladesh touched down on Thursday evening. The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women’s T20 World Cup which is being hosted by three Caribbean countries inclusive of Guyana will bowl off on November 9 and end on November 24. The ten teams who will
Captain of Ireland, Laura Delany (Adrian Narine photos)
be competing are Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland and Bangladesh. Eight of the ten teams qualified automatically, with Bangladesh and Ireland finishing first and second respectively at the Qualifier tournament in July of this year in the Netherlands. They won their respective semi-final matches in the qualifier, to advance to the Women’s World Twenty20 tournament. FIXTURES ICC WWT20, 2018 WarmUp Matches (Guyana) Sunday, November 4 Bangladesh vs Ireland at 16:00hrs Tuesday, November 6 – South Africa vs Australia at 16:00hrs Tuesday, November 6 – Bangladesh vs Pakistan at 20:00hrs Wednesday, November 7 – England vs India at 16:00hrs
Wednesday, November 7 – Windies vs New Zealand at 20:00hrs ICC WWT20, 2018 Match Schedule (Guyana) Friday, November 9 – New Zealand vs India at 11:00hrs Friday, November 9 – Australia vs Pakistan at 16:00hrs Friday, November 9 – Windies vs Bangladesh at 20:00hrs Sunday, November 11 – India vs Pakistan at 11:00hrs Sunday, November 11 – Australia vs Ireland at 16:00hrs Tuesday, November 13 – Pakistan vs Ireland at 16:00hrs Tuesday, November 13 – Australia vs New Zealand at 20:00hrs Thursday, November 15 – India vs Ireland at 11:00hrs Thursday, November 15 – New Zealand vs Pakistan at 16:00hrs Saturday, November 17 – India vs Australia at 11:00hrs Saturday, November 17 – New Zealand vs Ireland at 16:00hrs.
Guatemala ‘trample’ Guyana 4-0 Enthralling two days expected at CONCACF U-20 Championship at Guyana Open golf tournament By Rajiv Bisnauth
Guatemala’s Carlos Alvarado easily gets by Guyana’s Ryan Dowding during his side’s 4-0 win at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship. IT WAS certainly not the type of start coach Wayne Dover wanted, but in their opening game of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, yesterday, Guyana went down 4-0 to Guatemala. The scoreline doesn’t truly reflect how much the Guyanese men were over-
whelmed by a sturdy Guatemalan side who led 1-0 at halftime at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA. Prior to Guatemala’s Rudy Barrientos goal in the 45th minute, Guyana custodian Johnathan Vaughn pulled off some crucial saves following several relentless attacks by the Central Amer-
icans. At one point, Guatemala enjoyed 90% of the ball possession, while Guyana failed to make a proper run on goal. Dover started with Vaughn in goal, along with Cecil Jackman, Lionel Holder, Kwai Marsh-Brown, Bevan Baker, Ryan Dowding, Jalen Case, Ryan Hackett, Kelsey Benjamin, Job Caesar and Thair Britton, but the Guyanese lads seemed comfortable staying back and defending, while the Guatemalans were having a field-day. So poor were the Guyanese, that Britton’s shot in the 20th minute from approximately 35 yards from goal was the only attempt for the men from South America. Guyana will be hoping for a better showing against Cayman Islands on November 6, as they face Curacao on November 8 before closing off their group stage against El Salvador on November 10.
ALL systems are in place for two enthralling days of golf at the Guyana Open Golf tournament, which tees off today at the Lusignan Golf Club on the East Coast of Demerara. It is expected that more than 100 golfers will tee off this morning - fewer players than the organisers anticipated. The men’s draw will be intriguing with a show of force which includes eight-time champion Avinash Persaud, but according to Lusignan Golf Club president Aleem Hussain, it will definitely be a big challenge for both defending champions. Guyana’s Christine Sukhram will be defending the ladies’ crown and according to officials of the LGC at least 12 female players will be battling for top honours this year including Joaan Deo. “This is the largest tournament ... in the past we had around 75 competitors, but this year, 102 golfers will take the field, including players from ten foreign countries,” Hussain said in an invited comment yesterday. The Medal Play tournament will be played over 36 holes with action starting at 05:10hrs each day. Players will
Christine Sukhram
compete in three flights - the A flight (0-9 handicap), B flight (10-18 handicap) and C flight (19-28 handicap). In an invited comment, Sukhram revealed that defending her Guyana’s Open title will certainly take profound concentration, determination and the will to win. Speaking with this publication yesterday, Sukhram said she is prepared to defend her title at all costs. Meanwhile, Trophy Stall
continues its strong support towards the LGC. The business entity yesterday handed over a number of trophies for the twoday tournament. The presentation was made by Devi Sunich of Trophy Stall to Joaan Deo. According to Ms Sunich, the donation is part of the business entity’s way of giving back to sports locally. Golf has become a visible sport which we expect to grow tremendously in the years to come.