Guyana chronicle e paper 08 21 2017

Serene Nappi

Page 4

Submit projects for funding No. 105011

MONDAY,AUGUST 21, 2017

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

–President urges Cuffy 250 Committee

Warriors prevail!

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Serial carjacking suspect nabbed Pag e 2

All not bad in Rupununi flooding Page 8

Guyana Amazon Warriors fans celebrate after their team defeated the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League cricket match at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara (Digicel photo)

Businessman arrested for cocaine in chicken pen

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Delay closure of Rose Hall Estate Page 3

– Corentyne Chamber urges

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

Serial carjacking suspect nabbed

POLICE have captured a 25-year-old South Turkeyen, Sophia resident on Sunday who is suspected of involvement in several incidents of carjacking.

Police Press Officer, Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan, said the suspect was arrested at Dennis Street, Sophia, and was handed over to police on the West Demerara where he is accused of stealing a motor car on July 28.

Ramlakhan said the suspect when confronted with the evidence and allegation admitted to the offence and later confirmed that he stole the vehicle from a bridge in Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara.

The superintendent explained that the said vehicle was later recovered on August 11, in ‘D’ Field, Sophia, while in possession of the suspect who managed to escape the police dragnet.

“The suspect is wanted for questioning in respect of several reports of carjacking on the East Coast of Demerara. About 01:00hr Sunday morning, police ranks on foot patrol spotted the suspect, who on seeing the lawmen bolted on foot, but the ranks as fit as ever, pursued and apprehended him some distance away,” Ramlakhan said.

The Guyana Police

Force (GPF) is urging drivers, especially those of Toyota Allions and Premios to be extremely vigilant when driving, since there appears to be an increase in carjacking, especially of these models.

This month alone, there have been several reports of carjacking. In most cases, reports are made by taxi drivers.

Some of the areas persons are asked to be careful of are North Ruimveldt, Georgetown; Atlantic Ville, East Coast Demerara; Providence, East Bank Demerara and La Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.

Last Thursday, two men relieved Iqbal Clarke of his grey Nissan car bearing registration number PWW 1233 at the Ogle Public Road, East Coast Demerara, in the vicinity of Shell Gas Station.

The incident occurred shortly after 21:00 hrs, when Clarke came out of his car to investigate a strange sound under it.

It was at this point that he was confronted by the men who demanded that he lie on the road. They stripped him of his valuables and escaped in his car, which has the initials K.J.R on the front windscreen.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 21, 2017

Delay closure of Rose Hall Estate

-- Corentyne Chamber urges

By Nafeeza Yahya CENTRAL Corentyne Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) President, Mohamed Rafeek, is calling on government to postpone closure of Rose Hall Estate this year-end to mid-2018 to allow laid-off workers ample time to seek alternative employment.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, he said the move would be helpful since the business climate in Berbice is also suffering a decline.

“During crop time, Rose Hall Estate, from my understanding pays out around G$50 million every month, now you are taking that out of circulation, can you imagine the impact that is going to have in Berbice?; can you imagine what is going to happen in New Amsterdam and those businesses there? Which is why we are recommending to run the estate up to mid-2018 to allow the workers some time to seek other employment and give us the private sector some time to see if we can get private investors to run the estate to avoid this loss of cash flow,” he said.

Berbicians, especially those on East Berbice, Corentyne are contending that they have seen a reduc-

tion of about 35 per cent of business in general and that this is cause for concern in the business community.

Rafeek said based on the numbers from the 1st quarter report, business should have started to pick up by now but this is yet to happen.

He lamented that the economy is based on government’s spending and given the slow release of funds for government contracts, as also expressed by the Minister of Finance, the cash flow is simply not there and the CCCC is asking government to look into this matter.

The capital expenditure as of June 2017 was G$15.8B, an increase of

G$2.6B, compared to G$13.2B for June 2016.

However despite this increase in capital expenditure, the figure only represents 27.8 per cent of the G$56.7B budgeted for 2017.

CONTRACTION According to many like John Quinn, a cane harvester from Alness, during the out of crop season they usually get construction work with contractors in the area; however, they have not been getting the amount of work they are accustomed to, putting a strain on them to maintain their families during the outof-crop period.

“When is out-of-crop

CCCC President Mohamed Rafeek

The Rose Hall Estate is expected to be closed this year-end

Total solar eclipse today TODAY, at approximately 15:58hrs, the moon will obscure the sun’s light from reaching this part of the earth, resulting in a solar eclipse.

For Guyana, because of the positioning of the earth, persons will most likely experience a partial solar eclipse, according to scientific evaluations available online.

The entire eclipse will last from 14:48hrs to 17:00hrs. Scientists have argued that it is unsafe to look up in the sky in the minutes prior to and after the total eclipse.

According to Time.com, viewing the sun with one’s naked eye can burn the retina, damaging the images the brain can view.

This phenomenon,

known as “eclipse blindness”, can cause temporary or permanent vision impairment, and in worst-case scenarios can lead to legal blindness, which entails significant loss of vision.

It is safe to view the sky at 15:58hrs when the eclipse is in totality, that is, when the moon covers the sun’s light from reaching the earth.

One of the safest ways to view the eclipse prior to and after totality, is by use of eclipse glasses. In the absence of eclipse glasses, a common method is to make a simple device called a “pinhole viewer”, which can be made with a piece of paper and an empty cereal box.

“Another way to do this is to punch a small hole in a

A National Geographic image of a solar eclipse

card, and with the sun at your back, project the sun through that hole onto a second card, a wall or the ground,” said Rick Fienberg, press officer of the American Astronomical

Society.

The longest duration in which the moon totally covered the sun, known as totality, was during the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009.

time, I does work with contractors doing construction work but them men not getting the amount of contracts they used to get, is mostly small work them saying them tender but don’t know when the work gon be awarded so we can’t get a bite. I does try lil farming but everybody doing the same thing so prices cheap; me ain’t know what gun happen when them close the other estates cause is more people and not enough jobs,” he lamented.

The economy in Berbice being heavily dependent of agriculture is feeling the squeeze more than other regions due to the decline in prices of rice and sugar, two of the major sources of employment and revenue for the region.

In the first, quarter rice production surged by a whopping 51.5 per cent from 56,593 tonnes in 2016 to 85, 747 in 2017. This, despite lower world market prices, was seen as a contributing factor to the economic growth experienced in the first half.

However, given the heavy rainfall and the over-topping of the Canje Creek that led to the flooding of the Kakrite Creek Savannah and surrounding areas, many have been forced to reduce the amount of land they usually cultivate, while others have suffered from poor grades due to damaged crops. This is believed to be one of the contributory factors for the current decline in cash flow.

The overall standing as of June 2017 for rice has seen a decrease of US$11M from exports for the same period last year.

Sugar production continues to decline and the industry is presently under a reconstruction phase, as the government announced the closure of a few estates and seeks diversification as a means of making the remaining estates profitable.

One businessman, who requested anonymity, cited security as being a contributing factor for the decline in business. He related that many families have advised their relatives against coming home in light of the recent jailbreak, despite the authorities having managed to keep the situation under control.

APPROVAL OF U.S. VISAS Another businessman contended that with the recent surge in visa approvals by the U.S. Embassy, many families have been taking their money abroad to spend.

“There is a significant decline in sales based on what we are accustomed to but you can’t blame the government for everything.

If you look at the amount of visitors and permanent visas being granted by the U.S., you will realise a lot of money is being spent out of the country on ticket sales and shopping etc, plus our population is getting smaller and those that normally visit their families in Guyana and would spend here are no longer coming because the Guyanese are going there and visit instead. So this too adds up and will contribute to a decline in sales and as businessmen we have to find ways and means of coping with this decline.”

With the resumption of the 2nd crop at the Albion and Rose Hall estates and the start of the 1st crop at Skeldon Estate, many are looking forward to increased cash flow in time for the start of the new school year.

Despite businesses declaring a decline in sales, many have already stocked up for the new school year, while others are already looking ahead to the Christmas season and with the huge chunk of money still unspent from the budget, many are optimistic that things will get better.

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Serene Nappi KARU’KU and Nan’pi were the names of two men, that escaped tribal wars in Brazil, and entered the then Guiana some 100 years ago.

They were among the first settlers who entered the forest, leaving forever their mark on the expansive savannahs of the Rupununi in Region Nine.

Karu’ku became Kanuku, bequeathing his name to the majestic range of mountains that divides the Rupununi savannahs in two. Nan’pi became Nappi, his name was given to the beautiful Macushi Indigenous community sitting in the hills just outside the shadow of the Kanuku Mountains, in Central Rupununi, Region Nine.

Nappi’s beauty is evident upon entering the community, through the 30-mile-long road off the Lethem roadway. The road is lined with trees that the village’s close to 1000 population use for medicine.

The landscape is uniquely dotted with termites homes.

These beautiful structures,

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

ues.

The termite homes take years to build and are as hard

while homes are scattered and far from each other, the people are close knit and live

Some still use bullock carts with wooden wheels, and the warishi, as well as

spirits in the folklore of the native tribes of Guyana and in North-western Brazil).

Nappi also has a nursery and primary school and a hot meal kitchen, a health centre, village office, a community centre and a resthouse.

There is no shortage of attractions in the community itself. Up and downhill are lined with citrus and mango trees.

TOURISM POTENTIAL Nappi has great potential for tourism. The community has two falls; the Nappi Falls and Jordan Falls.

The Jordan Falls, which is more accessible, has an eco-lodge, which accommodates the few tourists yearly that visit and experience the excellent hospitality of the people, unspoiled nature, rich wildlife, a dizzying array of birds, and the rarely visited

A family returning from the farm lands on a bullcart some almost 10 metres high, take all shapes and sizes, some even looking like stat-

as cement, making them difficult to destroy.

Nappi is very quiet and

in peace, making their traditional food of farine, cassava bread or carsreep.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

Submit projects for funding

-- President urges Cuffy 250 Committee

PRESIDENT David Granger has urged the executive of the Cuffy 250 Committee to commence working on plans to develop projects relative to Afro-Guyanese.

He told the body and its members during their 5th Annual State of the African Guyanese forum on Sunday at the Critchlow Labour College that the allocation of finances to support such projects can be made in accordance with the United Nations declaration of the International Decade of People of African Descent.

He said in July, the government commenced working on the budget cycle for 2018, and according to him, allocations will have to be decided over the next 10 weeks if plans put forward by the Cuffy 250 body are to be included in the 2018 national budget.

The budget is expected to be presented in the National Assembly in that timeframe.

The President received a report from the Cuffy250 Committee and he noted that

there are several elements of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) of the United Nations-designated International Decade of People of African Descent which has to be addressed by the committee.

The decade was launched in 2013, and he noted that 1/3 of the 120 months has expired.

“So we now have to accomplish in two thirds of that time what we should have accomplished in 10 years,” he said.

President David Granger with members of the Cuffy 250 Committee

The President highlighted three issues which the CCM body should examine. He listed organisation and education as top priorities, adding that implementation of mechanisms is the most important.

He said that the decade is too important to become an opportunity for racial or religious discrimination. “Let us not fight old battles of the past,” he said to the packed audience as they responded in applause.

President Granger told the gathering that the decade must be forward -looking, noting that it is about the next decade and not the previous one.

“My brothers and sisters, the opportunity presented by the United Nations decade is unlikely to present itself during a lifetime,” he added.

Jonathon Adams of the Cuffy250 Committee during an address spoke of the issues

which persons of African descent faced here over the years.

Dr William Adu-Kru , the United Nations Representative in Guyana, said it is particularly important to enhance cohesion and cooperation within society, while recognising the identify and values of all the ethnic groups.

He said that the international decade of people of African descent is a reminder

of human rights, dignity and human freedom.

“We have to make a conscious effort to remember the sacrifices of those before us,” he added.

He announced at the forum that a UN working group on the People of African Descent would be visiting Guyana in October 2017 at the request of the government.

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Editorial

LAST month, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, addressing a private sector forum communicated Government’s intention to clamp down on excessive and unnecessary imports.

Guyana and the other countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continue to spend billions of U.S. dollars each year on items that can be produced within the Region. Such practices debilitate the development of countries by making them dependent on external forces for their survival, security, and well-being. For instance, CARICOM’s food-import bill is pegged at more than US$4B per year. Recognition by successive governments that Guyana is capable of producing and selling many of the items imported is still to reach beyond thought, though there were previous efforts to move in such direction.

Suffice to say that in our polarised politics, which can also be unforgiving, the most ambitious and worthwhile efforts for develop-

ment could be met with ridicule, resistance, allegations of backwardness and targeting of groups for discrimination. It is said that the past is prologue and experiences that influenced the loss of previous opportunities -economic and otherwise to individuals, businesses and country -- should be learnt from and avoided.

Guyana is rich in agricultural prospects and the desire to be the Caribbean’s food basket, though ambitious, remains doable. There was also once a progressive, though fledgling, manufacturing sector and was it allowed to be nurtured, the country would have experienced its niche market in the Region and farther afield.

The wisdom of the government to pursue self-sufficiency, though it cannot be faulted, given the economic and security benefits, at the same time government cannot ignore the importance of management of the process to achieve the objective.

Experience has shown in our environment that it matters not that the PPP/C

Government under Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud revitalised the Forbes Burnham Government’s “Grow More Food Programme,” judging by the blog-sphere, social media and man in the street, it is already being peddled similar attention by this government is driven by poor management of the economy and a desire to starve the people. This propaganda cannot be ignored, more so that it is past time Guyana achieved a higher degree of development, a pursuit that must not be torpedoed.

Studies have shown that there are new trends in consumers’ preference and products, primarily in the food and beauty-supply industries. The shift to healthy lifestyle choices has seen increasing demands for natural products. A progressive country and people would seek to rise to the occasion not only to capitalise on such benefits through importation, but also as producers and providers. Impressing on the society the importance of looking at the issue

through such lens, not only will facilitate constructive public discourse, but should also be accompanied by developing policies, programmes, and laws to meet the challenges.

Government may find it feasible and gratifying through engagement with communities and interest groups to facilitate and encourage the emergence of ideas as to what can be the role of respective stakeholders. For instance, Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder, recently addressed the issue of a modern milk-processing plant. It may be necessary in realising this project to pursue engagement of a national programme for the production of milk involving farmers across the country.

Programmes of such nature most likely may require financing to enhance the economy in villages, supported by other concomitant incentives.

It is also important to recognise efforts to improve self-sufficiency and management of our foreign currency/reserves can be of interest

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

to external forces who will seek to undermine such efforts. It is not uncommon in the competitive global economy to see countries subsidise their farmers and manufacturers in order to have competitive advantages, even as they discourage similar practices for other countries. Previous experience has shown that smallstate economies have also seen condemnation of their products trying to enter the markets -- local and foreign.

These foregoing factors cannot be ignored, given that don’t matter what is produced, its benefits and quality, where propaganda holds sway it is unworthy the project

will suffer. This brings attention to recent recognition by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, in addressing the Broadcasting Bill, making reference to the indigenous concept of Development Support Communication as part of Government’s Public Service Programme. Communication is essential in bringing the society along on ideas generated and flowing therefrom and it should be noted that for it be effective, it has to be a two-way street, that is, involvement of the masses and policy-makers in the processs, from conceptualisation to consumption/use of the product.

Allegations of corruption in GPF must be investigated Dear Editor, THE President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana has been under attack by the leader of the parliamentary opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, for writing to the Police Service Commission requesting a delay in the promotion of police ranks to higher positions in Guyana Police Force (GPF).

According to Jagdeo and others, the President is acting unconstitutionally, in other words, behaving like a dictator. In the absence of clear guidelines when serious complaints are levelled at the body that is appointed to make such decisions, then someone has to act in the best interest of the people of this country.

Following the request of the President to halt the

promotion, a series of questions have arisen. What should the President do when he is informed that there are corrupt practices and perceived elements of nepotism in the GPF and alleged bias by the “Independent” Police Service Commission? Must the President do nothing?

In the absence of any clear guidelines, the “buck must stop with this President”, the head of the overall security of the country!

The other crucial question is: “Is there any mechanism in place to stop this alleged corruption and favouritism that seemed to be on-going in the Police Force? There seems to be no immediate answer to this question and that is what must be discussed at a Cabinet meeting.

All the above questions

need proper answers, so that the public that is paying keen attention, can be satisfied that their interests are properly addressed at the highest levels of government.

The usual suspects -especially the Jagdeo PPP -who think that their duties and responsibilities are to only criticise the Granger Administration, have given a “Dictatorial spin” to this matter.

The fact is, this issue should, equally, concern Mr. Jagdeo, as the official opposition leader. It is believed that those who were expected to be promoted have some connection to the Jagdeo PPP and the objection to the President’s request to halt the promotions would have badly affected those friends of the PPP. Mr. Jagdeo has failed to

understand that they were elected to play a responsible role in Parliament, the highest law-making body in the country. The Opposition parliamentarians, also, receive taxpayers’ money to help to keep the government on its toes and to support issues that are in the interest of the nation.

Constitutionally, the official Opposition is part of the governing processes and it must act professionally, and not like schoolchildren.

The fact of the matter is, Jagdeo and others can only prattle infantile nonsense and are not serious about the development of this country and move it into the 21st century. The President would have been damned, if he knowingly did nothing to prevent alleged fraudulent and corrupt practices. The role of the President is to

ensure that all laws and regulations are applied in a transparent, fair and just manner.

The President and his administration have inherited a massive level of corruption and lawlessness that the citizens have never seen or experienced. The 50 forensic audit reports, commissioned by the government and overseen by Minister Jaipaul Sharma, are incriminating and cannot be released to the public. These forensic reports testify to the widespread fraud and corruption tolerated and encouraged by the Jagdeo-PPP regime.

The citizens of Guyana and Guyanese compatriots living abroad will be aghast when the true nature of the rape of our natural and human resources are graphically revealed, which

were largely committed by the Jagdeo administration.

Government sources have stated that it will take more than 10 years to effectively deal with the perpetrators of these monstrous crimes against the nation.

The Jagdeo-PPP and his surrogates have no moral authority to speak about the virtues of good governance, when they are the guilty party in this crisis of morality and mismanagement.

The President has his job cut out for him and he must act swiftly in the interest of all the people of Guyana. The least Jagdeo can do is to stop pretending that he is innocent in all of the above.

Yours sincerely, M. JINNAH RAHMAN Journalist and community activist

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

Serene ...

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Discrimination in any form should be eradicated Dear Editor,

I REFER to an article in the Stabroek News that ‘Linden Church Leader stages march against homosexuality’, August 20, 2017. I shook my head in disbelief as I read this and I thought to myself that women are raped and battered every day in this country and this is what this man of God chooses to march against— homosexuality --- which is in fact taking a public stand on discriminating against people that are different from him.

I am always so curious about why people seem to have such harsh opinions about others’ lifestyles that have no impact on them. So this march was to counter SASOD’s efforts to appeal Guyana’s buggery laws.

Well I wonder if the goodly and godly pastor knows that the antiquated buggery laws also apply

to heterosexual persons who may also practise this act.

In Guyana, we love to practise with I call ‘othering’, ‘them and us’, we see this in politics, the diaspora, race, etc.

True humanity and godliness in my view are to practise understanding and love for others that are also different from us.

In the case of homosexuality, you do not have to accept, but at least make a space for understanding that many are born this way and do not have the choices that heterosexuals do. Depression and suicide are high among the gay community I understand. Many who discriminate against LBGTQ people are the loudest critics against racism and other forms of abuse. Often we are very vocal about issues that affect us directly, but sometimes we need to stretch beyond ourselves and place ourselves in

the shoes of others. We all have to be our brothers and sisters’ keepers, we must all be open to speaking up on issues that may not affect us directly, but has terrible impact on others.

This is not a religious issue at all, this is a human rights issue! A few months ago there was an idea floated about a referendum to have Guyanese choose about whether to repeal the sodomy law. Imagine an issue like this left up to citizens where discrimination against the LBGTQ community is rife.

Discrimination is learnt and at some point discrimination becomes a choice, but to have laws that go against the fundamental practice of human rights is cause for deep reflection within ourselves and as a nation.

Yours sincerely, DR RAQUEL THOMAS-CAESAR

Sad and disappointed THE National Mine Workers Union of Guyana joins with the Government of Guyana, Ministry of Natural resources, Geology and Mines Commission and employers across the mining industry in wishing you the mine workers a ‘God bless and peaceful Pork Knockers Day’ play off on this 19th day of August 2017;the one-day-a-year event set aside to show our appreciation for your hard labour and toiling throughout the year.

As president of the national mine workers union, a former mine worker myself, and a born Bartician, who like many others, have grown over the years to a titanic size celebrations on Pork Knockers Day. However, today as I eat, drink and smile with you fellow mine workers, it is just to make you smile because it’s your day; but behind my smile is a very sad countenance and a broken heart.

Pork Knockers Day celebrations in Bartica has become a national event, attracting thousands of Guyanese, including the Diaspora who would come home for the summer and would journey to beautiful Bartica with family and friends to show their appreciation for mine workers and be part of the celebrations.

Today at this 2017 Pork Knockers Day play offs, workers, I will tell you why I am sad and broken hearted, as customs would have it, employers would come out in their numbers and provide freely a bar, food and other tokens of appreciation for their employees.

However, in 2015, only one employer was at Pork Knockers Day; in 2016 no employer was there to show their appreciation for their employees and in 2017, the final nail was driven into the coffin with no Pork Knockers Day in Bartica, only something the organisers call a “Play off”.

It is beyond sad; a sore disappointment on this one-day-a-year event for mine workers in which interest is rapidly declining for reason/s I do not know and even though I know, wish not to say.

What I wish to say is that mine

workers, like the minerals they work, are being treated like disposable resources, so the noticeable decline in the showing of appreciation for mine workers has not gone unnoticed by the National Mine Workers Union.

With that being said, I urge both government and the Gold and Diamond Miners Association to take “baby steps” to have their disagreements and other issues resolved for mine workers must not pay the price for the disagreement between the Government and the employers in the mining industry.

Mining remains the largest contributor to Guyana’s GDP, outperforming all other sectors, but sadly what are the success stories of mine workers?

As I celebrate with you today, I remember the lives lost by way of pit cave-ins and other forms of accidents across the mining districts in all categories of mining. The loss of lives is always regrettable and even more so while on the work site.

As president of the NMWUG, I say mine workers lives matter and urge strict adherence to safety and health mining regulations by employers. To all members of the NMWUG, I say continue to stand with us, for all other grounds is sinking sand and to those potentials members, I say thank you for approaching the NMWUG after recognising and embracing the objectives of the union and expressing the desire to make it your choice for representation.

As president, I vow to go above and beyond to bring you the mine workers the highest level of representation.

As a born Bartician, living in Bartica and someone who had spent most of his life as a mine worker, I am happy to say to you that I have no other interest, save for a desire to see and have the welfare of mine workers in all categories of mining be addressed in a timely and objective manner through negotiations and effective representation.

For my agenda is patriotic and I say to you boldly I have a patri-

otic agenda and I choose to be part of the solution to the problems affecting the mine workers across the mining industry.

All Guyanese will agree with me today in saying that mining is being redefined in Guyana, thus the formation of the first National Mine Workers Union of Guyana is timely.

The NMWUG is not here to wage a war against any mining company, local or foreign, but rather as president of the NMWUG, I extend on this mine workers appreciation day celebration an olive branch to all mining companies operating in Guyana.

As the union seeks to foster an understandable friendship whereby a conducive environment will be created to have the welfare of mine workers be discussed at length and resolved and for those workers, I say you too have a responsibility to observe.

On this sad day I urge greater respect for mine workers, as the mining industry continues to be plagued by labour related issues; the reports the department of labour receive is no way near the daily occurrences of injustice the workers are faced with. The NMWUG urges the Government of Guyana to move swiftly to have a Labour Court established and the fast-tracking of the promised mining court.

I condemn without reservation the prison like treatment of mine workers at some mining companies and camps and urges acceptable working standards of which remain below standards throughout the mining industry.

As the NMWUG stands in solidarity today with you mine workers in all categories of mining across the mining districts in your struggle for union recognition, respect for your rights and satisfactory take home remuneration.

God bless Guyana, God bless you and peace be unto you!!!

Regards, SHERWYN DELANO DOWNER President NMWUG

Jordan Falls.

Those who prefer to stay closer to the lodge can explore the nearby bat cave, hiking trails or take a dip in the stream that runs along the border of the lodge.

In the past, Nappi was known mainly to visitors as being the source of intricate balata craft. Balata is a rubber-like substance harvested from trees to make traditional sculpture.

DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS Today, Nappi’s main economic activity is farming, with some traditional hunting and fishing.

Through its Community Development Project (CDP), Nappi is establishing a $5M cattle ranch. Toshao Walter Henrico said the first phase of the project has been completed and the second phase will commence soon.

“We are looking to sell beef to Lethem, Georgetown and the other villages. We want to get into producing leather and milk, once the

project starts to kick-off,” Toshao Henrico explained.

“We want to establish a coconut farm, so that when tourists come in, we have coconut to offer them. We are looking at having a beach, sports, canoe race , speed boat, jet boat,” Toshao Henrico said.

The community also plans to establish a uniformed housing area equipped with a solar farm, Internet hub, guesthouse and other amenities.

“Many people want to put their homes where they want to and so they are scattered all over the place. We want to be more uniform and so we will be engaging the surveyors and survey the place and come up with a model for the houses,” the toshao explained.

The intention is to develop programmes for the youths and create jobs so that they will stay in the community and contribute to its development.

The community is also in the process of constructing a

community benab from the $1M they received as part of their 2016 presidential grant project from the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs.

For 2017, the community proposed to purchase a motorcycle, printers and computers for the village office.

Another major project is the community’s water-catchment project, which is expected to be completed soon. The public-private partnership project began earlier this year to bring relief to the communities during the dry season.

The catchment area identified is a natural depression in the land in a section not utilised by the community for either farming or cattle-rearing. The area will hold approximately three cubic metres of water.

The catchment area, although not fully completed, has accumulated water from the heavy May/June rains. Toshao Henrico said this will bring relief to the villagers who farm and raise animals for their livelihoods. (GINA/DPI)

The good in a bad

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

-- how the Rupununi benefits from flooding

By Alva Solomon IN June this year, prolonged rains left many Rupununi farmlands under water, families were forced to reap their crops of cassava -- an essential staple -- much earlier into their life cycle.

Main roadways at villages across the region were cut off in some instances.

A month later, minibus drivers exerted grit as they forced the small vehicles through the thick slush of the region’s flooded Hunt Oil stretch, an important stretch of road which was covered by the rising floodwaters.

But while the losses in Region Nine (Upper Essequi-

Concerns for residents are that the rains have eased considerably and another period of dry weather may be on the horizon.

“Right now the rains cut, which should not have been,” said Verlina Jerry, a resident of Lethem, a town in Region Nine on the southern border of Guyana.

“We had a shower of rain last Friday around lunch and an hour later the place was dry,” Jerry said this past weekend. She said the rainy season runs through to late September and she predicted that it would have been raining at the moment.

Another resident of Lethem, Onika Salty, was equally concerned. “For the longest while we hadn’t any

According to research, the Rupununi savannahs encompass 5000 square miles of virtually untouched grasslands, swamp lands, rainforested mountains and are inhabited by some 15,000 Wapisiana, Macushi and Wai-Wai indigenous peoples.

In March this year, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) office in Guyana in collaboration with Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) highlighted in a report, some of the most striking characteristics of the South Rupununi savannah region, especially focusing on its diversity of habitats, reflected in the high-species richness and ecological diversity of the flora and fauna.

Many species were re-

: Men spring into action as the driver of a fuel tanker navigates the Hunt Oil stretch near Lethem late last month.

bo –Upper Takutu) have been an annual bugbear for the authorities -- mainly from an economic standpoint -- one aspect of life in this tourism-rich biodiversity zone of Guyana’s most southern region is its rich eco-system.

The rainy season in the Rupununi runs from April to September annually and the rains are usually moderate. They are usually heavy between May through August and change gradually thereafter.

However, conditions are changing faster than expected. This past week, the Rupununi experienced several days of sunlight which left the landscape dry, at least for a few days.

rain,” Salty said this past Sunday. The landscape in the area was very dry.

Salty expressed concern that the animals will suffer, since the water sources in most areas are likely to dry out. It was noted too that the rains which annually pours during September, have not been witnessed in the region in recent years.

In June this year, Conservation International Guyana noted that flood events in the Rupununi which prevailed at the time, are a natural, regularly occurring and a necessary process for the replenishment of key ecosystem services for the savannahs, forests, wetlands and waterways.

corded for the first time in Guyana and the South Rupununi.

In addition, at least 59 species of plants and 72 species of animals were identified by communities in the region as important for food, construction, medicine and income-generation. This entire group has been threatened over the years by high volumes of floodwaters, the effect of climate change.

2011 FLOODS In 2011, the Rupununi experienced the brunt of extreme weather conditions. That year, floodwaters swamped the entire landscape, an experience which the elderly in the region not-

A bus driver navigates floodwaters as he drives over the Manari Bridge on the outskirts of Lethem early in July this year. (Daniel Gajie photo)

ed at the time was a first in their lifetime of experiences.

It was the result of a combination of factors, including the overtopping of waterways, including the Takutu River, which lies between Guyana and Brazil, an unusual, persistent rainy season as well as poor drainage and irrigation facilities.

In mid-2015, the region experienced the total opposite of the 2011 situation -- a drought. Dry weather left the landscape in most villages scorched, the famous Kumu Falls trickled, all of which prompted an environmental response from the authorities which was aimed at providing water to villages for various purposes, but mainly for human use and consumption.

The conditions had a direct effect on animal life.

As the El Nino dry-weather conditions peaked later in 2015, rescuers were forced to fetch the heavy arapaima, an endangered freshwater fish, from the dried-out waterways to other areas where the water levels were high enough to foster their existence.

In February 2016, a similar exercise was undertaken, according to the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), which said that the endangered fish were relocated from a dry pond to the Rewa River due to drought conditions.

Water levels were so low that the rescue team had to push and drag boats over a day and a half to reach the stranded arapaimas.

The situation stretched until mid-2016, and during this period, residents were forced to extend the depths of their wells, rely on government services for water as

well as fetch water from great distances.

JULY 2017

Fast forward to July 2017.

Buses were stuck on the Lethem-Georgetown trail. Fuel Turn to Page 10

Businessman arrested for cocaine in house, chicken pen A DARTMOUTH, Essequibo Coast businessman was Saturday afternoon arrested at his home after a search unearthed 1539 grams of cannabis and 32 grams of cocaine, in several sections of the house and also in a chicken pen in the yard.

Police said the arrest was effective about 17:30hrs and the 40-yearold trafficker, who was on the police’s radar for a while, is expected to be arraigned before a Magistrate Monday in the Essequibo Magisterial District.

The seized cannabis

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 21, 2017

20 LFSS students receive school supplies

By Joe Chapman TWENTY deserving children of the Linden Foundation Secondary School (LFSS) received backpacks and school supplies from Maureen Davidson, wife of Anglican Bishop of Guyana, Suriname and Cayenne, the Right Reverend Charles Davidson last Friday.

The donation was made in conjunction with the Linden Fund USA, among others donors.

Speaking at the presentation held in the Linden Foundation Secondary School auditorium, Headteacher Mrs. Verlin Pitt expressed gratitude to the donors for the kind gesture.

“We are grateful that we have persons who are still interested in the welfare of children; and so the First Lady teamed up with Linden Fund USA to make this venture possible and today they are here to share with the deserving children,” she said.

Quality education, Mrs. Pitt said at times is hindered by lack of materials and facilities on the part of the

Anglican Bishop of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, the Right Reverend Charles Davidson, hands over a backpack to one of the students of the Linden Foundation Secondary School as others look on

children and hailed the donation as timely.

“I hope you children are going to make full use of it and value it. We expect better results at your examinations and the donors would like you to get better results and that is why they have come forward to help,” the head-

teacher said.

Mrs. Davidson said the charitable work started with a small idea.

“I shared it with the chair of the Linden Fund USA, Ms Walcott-Quintin and we set about donations from Linden Fund, which made it possible for us to do it for

you guys. I hope you are going to use it with respect to do your school work,” Mrs. Davidson said.

She added: “You guys are the future of Guyana and if you don’t have enough education, you will not be able to carry on what you parents or grandparents have brought.

Guyana is very dear and close me; hence, the reason for I coming back to give this assistance. I hope that this is not going to be our first and last and I do hope we can do this for as long as possible.”

According to Mrs. Davidson, friends and family, a doctor and his wife in the US, among others, with the Linden Fund USA, came forward to make the donation possible.

“We are going to focus

on one school and as donation from individuals and more donors coming in, we can get tablets among the supplies come next year,” she said.

Bishop Davidson said the Anglican Church has been in education for a long time and has even founded the Bishops’ High School and Queen’s College.

“So education for us is important as it is an opportunity to make ourselves better and these little things that we do, are so that the money your parents would have spent on this, they can spend it on something else.

So we are grateful we can do this and time goes by we can ensure that it becomes an annual thing both here and in Georgetown,” the Bishop said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

The criminal offence of ‘WANDERING’ CASSANDRA’S childhood had never been stable. She was one of five children born to an alcoholic mother and a father, who spent more time away from his family than with them. The parents loved their children but failed to give them the protection and guidance they needed.

Cassandra was 15 when she started going to nightclubs with older girls who encouraged her to pick up men and offer sex for money.

It was a delinquent lifestyle that, although unsavoury and illicit, afforded her the food and clothes she wanted so badly. Cassandra didn’t care to acknowledge that she was breaking the law and her parents were unconcerned about her night-time activities until she was stopped and held by police while returning home in the early hours of the morning.

She was subsequently brought to the attention of the Childcare and Protection Agency ‘as a juvenile offender’ through the Probation Department, when she was placed on a charge of ‘WANDERING.’ A juvenile offender is someone below the age of 17 who is charged with an offence and therefore will stand before a magistrate in a court of law. It is not in the child’s best interest to be placed in the same vicinity as adult criminals, so while he/she is being processed or is on remand, a special place must be sought to keep the young offender safe until they go to court or a probation report can be completed.

Children who come into contact with the law usually come from a background where there is a lack of (or no) parental control, or one where the child is ‘beyond’

parental control.

Juvenile offenders tend to offend, because they ‘hang out’ with the wrong people and as a result, criminal activities ensue. One reason why criminals prey on younger children and entice them to commit crimes is because children cannot be sent to prison. Underage girls tend to get caught up in illicit sex for goods, money or just for fun. But any lifestyle that children follow while on the streets is firstly counterproductive to their health and well-being; and secondly can lead to a life of degradation, because children are vulnerable even if they appear to be in control and know what they are doing.

Wandering is an offence with which only children can be charged, it falls under the Juvenile Offenders Act: Chapter 10:03 in the Laws of

The good in... tankers were unable to brave the swamp-like conditions of the trail closer to Lethem, the region’s only town and administrative capital.

“We are hoping that it improves,” Regional Chairman Bryan Allicock told the Guyana Chronicle last month

as the rains poured on the outskirts of Lethem.

The Hunt Oil Stretch of road located on the outskirts of Lethem was cut off, as water swamped the area.

The rains posed further headaches for road users, mainly the operators of pas-

senger buses which traverse this problematic stretch.

Two weeks ago, the regional chairman was adamant that the conditions on the road would improve. He was correct.

The authorities were able to repair this section of the

The Hunt Oil stretch after it was repaired for vehicles to traverse last week (Ministry of Public Infrastructure photo)

Guyana.

A number of the children who ‘wander’ are children who are predisposed to delinquent behaviour. Many of them are taken in front of a magistrate for this offence.

Here are some examples of ‘activities’ that fall under ‘wandering.’ * When a child leaves his/her home at night and does not return until morning and his parents have no idea where he/she goes or what he/she does. * A child who disappears for long hours and returns with money, gifts or food. * A child hanging around older people on the street, who may encourage the use of illicit drugs or get the child involved in criminal activity. * Girls prostituting themselves for money or for a pimp * Young boys who are

From Page 8 road last week, reconnecting the economic linkage between the Rupununi and the coastland.

But while residents and the authorities have been battling the effects of wetweather conditions, it is the eco-system in the country’s richest biodiversity zone that benefits heavily from the flood conditions.

According to UN Environment, the United Nations

sent to burgle homes by criminals Some children are so entrenched in these types of negative lifestyles that they need ‘behaviour modification’: placing such a child in a regular care centre with children who are there because of abuse or due to a deficiency in their home environment is not the answer; neither is sending the child to prison.

These children need an environment where they can be exposed to ‘behaviour awareness’ and ‘discipline’ programmes, to get their lives back on track in a positive way. The juvenile justice law states that once a child is in custody, a rehabilitation process must begin. From all indications, there are current challenges and shortfalls where rehabilitation processes are concerned but, the new Juvenile Justice Act seeks to

address these shortfalls.

In the new Juvenile Justice Act, the status offence of ‘wandering’ will be removed and parents will be held accountable for where their juveniles go and what they do. Parents need to fulfil their duties and realise that there will be a penalty to pay if they fail to supervise their juveniles adequately. It is their responsibility to seek help if their child is delinquent and/ or out of control.

As a society, each one of us should possess an innate responsibility to protect children from exploitation and potential danger.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child you can ring the CPA hotline 227 0979 or email chilcaregy@gmail.co A message from the Childcare and Protection Agency, Ministry of Social Protection

agency which coordinates its environmental activities globally, freshwater eco-systems are constantly under threat.

“Climatic changes lead to permanent shifts in freshwater conditions, depleting biodiversity and impacting the proper functioning of freshwater ecosystems, as well as manifesting themselves in more frequent and severe extreme events such as drought and floods,” UN Environment notes.

This picture illustrates the struggles for survival of the Rupununi arapaimas.

TOO MUCH WATER The Rupununi is feeling the effects of unusual weather, Aishalton resident Tony James noted recently. He told the Guyana Chronicle that several farmlands along the 180km distance between Lethem and Aishalton were inundated.

At Annai, Michael Williams of the NRDDB noted two weeks ago that the rains were pouring at the North Rupununi village. He noted that the village was “becoming a ghost village” as the residents were all in the fields making “farine,”baking cassava-bread and making all

In February 2016, several piglets suckle at their mother during the El Nino dry-weather conditions (Alva Solomon photo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday August 21, 2017

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

App now enables hassle-free travel ANYONE who travels from East Berbice to Georgetown or vice versa using public transportation knows the hassle involved getting to the park, being harassed by touts and the waiting period for the car or bus to be filled before it drives off.

Hopefully that will become a thing of the past.

A young entrepreneur from New Amsterdam has developed an app to make travelling easier as well as sourcing items from Georgetown or across the world.

Larry Morgan, 36, a businessman and taxi operator plying the Berbice to Georgetown route, with the help of a few coders has developed an online shopping app with a taxi feature.

The app, Matrixshopping, can be downloaded from Play Store for android users and like most online shopping apps, it seeks to

within hours.

There is an option as well to sell products via the app, upload a video, promote a video on youtube, whether it is a local artiste selling music or promoting a business.

The company Matrixshopping is giving a reward of $500,000 to the video with the most subscribers at the end of the year.

There is also the customer support feature whereby persons can chat with a representative to answer any questions or provide support for online shopping experience.

However, it is the matrix taxi feature of the app that has many Berbicians breath-

Larry Morgan

make shopping hassle-free.

It has links to some of the most popular stores and items in Georgetown, mak-

ing it easier for Berbicians or Guyanese in general to shop locally and have the items delivered to their doors

ing a sigh of relief. The taxi feature allows persons to click on drivers, see a brief biography of them, pinpoint their exact locations, the speed at which they are travelling and their anticipated time of arrival in Georgetown or New Amsterdam.

Now with this feature, persons can call the driver and make travel arrangements for themselves or have items picked up or delivered.

There is also a feature that allows the user to leave a review of their experience so others can be guided accordingly. This, for Morgan, is a plus, since he gets to weed out rogue drivers who

make travelling dangerous or uncomfortable for patrons.

The app was conceptualised by Morgan and developed by a team of coders who took three years to complete it. It already has a good following and is being used by many major companies.

According to Morgan, the main idea behind the design of the app is to make shopping hassle-free for Berbicians, since many want items in Georgetown but are reluctant to leave the comfort of their homes to get the items.

As such, he created the app to fill the void, allowing shoppers to have the items they want within hours.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

Warriors alive ... off a no-ball, which was confirmed from multiple replays.

The Warriors were left ruined after the let-off, with their bowlers erratic in the final stretch, leaking 81 runs in the last seven overs.

Asked to bat first, the Tridents endured two quiet overs before Smith got the innings going, with three boundaries off Sohail Tanvir, hitting the first through cover, the second wide of mid-on and the third pulled imperiously into the deep backward square leg region.

But the steady rotation in the bowling department allowed the Tridents only ten runs in the next three overs, as they exited the Powerplay at 27 without loss.

Both Smith and Kane Williamson (47 off 43), played responsibly in the middle-overs, striking occasional boundaries, but making clear efforts not to give their wickets away, and at half-way through the innings they were 61-0.

However, their patience paid dividends, and they added 107 for the first wicket, which set the tone for the tourists.

Smith continued the assault, and even the dismissal of Williamson in the 16 th over to leg-spinner Rashid Khan could not prevent the onslaught.

Joined by his captain, Kieron Pollard, Smith also dominated the 47 run second-wicket stand, hitting 19 runs each off Paul and Rayad Emrit in the 18th and 19th overs, respectively.

He brought up his century in the final over bowled by Tanvir. In that over the visitors lost three wickets, including both Smith and Pollard, along with Nicholas Pooran.

The Warriors were off to a solid beginning as their new opening combination of Walton and Tanvir, in for the out-of-form Martin Guptill, put on 48 in 31 balls before the latter was removed by Imran Khan for 16.

Gajanand Singh joined Walton, but his stay at the crease was short, and at the end of the Powerplay, the Warriors were 71-2.

Unperturbed by those dismissals, Walton raised his fifty just off 27 balls, with five fours and three sixes. He and Guptill added 71 for the sec-

Continued from back page ond wicket, with the captain contributing 27 off 33 balls.

However, both were dismissed in the 17th over, bowled by Pollard, with the Warriors 15 runs short of the target.

Jason Mohammed and Assad Fudadin took the score to 152 before Pollard removed Mohammed and Paul off consecutive balls in the 19th over.

The Warriors will now play the St Lucia Stars tomorrow from 18:00hrs.

SCORECARD

BARBADOS Tridents innings D Smith c Singh b Tanvir 100 K Williamson c Permaul b Khan 47 K Pollard c Khan b Tanvir 6 N Pooran b Tanvir 0 S Springer not out 0 T Webster not out 2 Extras: (lb-2, nb-2) 4 Total: (4 wickets; 20 overs) 159 Fall of wickets: 1-107, 2-152, 3-157, 4-157 Bowling: Tanvir 4-0-40-3, Permaul 4-0-20-0, Emrit 4-0-36-0, Khan 4-0-21-1, Jacobs 2-0-200, Paul 2-0-20-0

Guyana Am Warriors innings C Walton c Williamson b Pollard 92 S Tanvir c Springer b Khan 16 G Singh b Hosein 0 M Guptill c Williamson b Pollard 27 J Mohammed c Webster b Pollard 5 A Fudadin not out 7 K Paul c Williamson b Pollard 0 R Emrit not out 1 Extras: (lb-3, nb-1, w-8) 12 Total: (6 wickets; 19.1 over) 160 Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-64, 3-145, 4-145, 5-152, 6-152 Bowling: Rampaul 4-0-370, Parnell 4-0-26-0, Hosein 3-0-28-1, Khan 2-0-27-1, Pollard 4-0-16-4, Jacobs 1-0-12-0, Springer 1-0-11-0

South Africa Racing Tips Flamingo Park 08:25 hrs Perfectus 08:50 hrs Bunch Of Thyne 09:25 hrs Cash In Camilla 09:55 hrs Tayaar 10:25 hrs Downtown Danza English Racing Tips Lingfield 09:00 hrs Take A Turn 09:30 hrs Love Conquers 10:00 hrs Piedita 10:30 hrs Ambient 11:00 hrs Harba 11:30 hrs Fortunate Vision 12:05 hrs Artic Flower Thirsk 09:15 hrs No I’m Easy 09:45 hrs Inglorious 10:15 hrs Sovereign Bounty 10:45 hrs Bogart 11:15 hrs Charlie’s Dreamer 11:45 hrs Sepal 12:15 hrs Percys Princess 12:45 hrs Insolenceofoffice Hexam 12:00 hrs What Happens Now 12:30 hrs Taxmeifyoucan 13:00 hrs Mo Rouge 13:30 hrs Lovely Job 14:00 hrs Banff 14:30 hrs Agentleman 15:00 hrs Rose Tree Irish Racing Tips Roscommon 11:40 hrs Himmah 12:10 hrs Spiorad Saoirse 12:40 hrs Kupa River 13:10 hrs Compass Hill 13:40 hrs Newcross 14;10 hrs Panstarr 14:40 hrs Shoofly 15:10 hrs Dara Tango American Racing Tips Saratoga Race 1 High Risk Strategy Race 2 She’sakittykat Race 3 Charis Race 4 Tres Charmant Race 5 Hembree Race 6 Run and Go Race 7 Converge Race 8 Diversify Race 9 Performance Bonus

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

Dhawan leads India to thumping win over Sri Lanka DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - India opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan smashed an unbeaten 132 off 90 deliveries to help his

side thrash hosts Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the first of five one-day internationals on Sunday.

Sri Lanka were well-beat-

en in the recently concluded three-test series against India, losing the first two matches inside four days and the last one in three to be whitewashed 3-0.

If the home fans had hoped the change in format would bring a change in fortune, they were left bitterly disappointed with India breezing to their 217-run target in under 29 overs.

Kohli was more measured in his approach and hit 10 fours and a six in his innings.

Sri Lanka had appeared set to post a challenging total after Kohli won the toss and asked

The unbroken 197-run stand between Kohli and Dhawan powered India home with nine wickets and 127 balls to spare ©AFP

Left-handed Dhawan, who scored his 11th hundred in the 50-over format, took India past their target with his 20th boundary with captain Virat Kohli remaining unbeaten on 82 from 70 deliveries.

The duo added 197 in an unbroken second wicket partnership after India suffered the early loss of Rohit Sharma, who was run out for four after dropping his bat behind the crease.

Having been adjudged the man of the series in the Tests, Dhawan, who also hit three sixes, continued to plunder runs off the Sri Lankan bowlers.

He brought up his hundred in 71 balls and got to the three-figure mark with three fours in an over against leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.

the hosts to bat first.

Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka added 74 in their opening stand be-

fore the latter played a bizarre reverse sweep to leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal to get caught out at cover for 35.

Dickwella, who topscored for the hosts with 64, continued the good work and added 65 for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis, who made a fluent 36.

Sri Lanka looked well placed to score in excess of 300, but then the hosts collapsed, losing their next nine wickets for the addition of 77 runs.

From 139-1 in the 25th over, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 216 with 40 deliveries still remaining in their innings.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel was the pick of India’s bowlers, taking 3-34 while Chahal, part-time off-spinner Kedar Jadhav and paceman Jasprit Bumrah picked up two wickets apiece.

The second one-day international in the fivematch series will be played in Pallekele on Thursday.

SCORECARD

SRI LANKA Innings Niroshan Dickwella lbw b Jadhav 64 Danushka Gunathilaka c Rahul b Chahal 35 Kusal Mendis b A. Patel 36 Upul Tharanga c S. Dhawan b Jadhav 13 Angelo Mathews not out 36 Chamara Kapugedera run out (Kohli) 1 Wanidu Hasaranga c Jadhav b A. Patel 2 Thisara Perera b Bumrah 0 Lakshan Sandakan lbw b A. Patel 5 Lasith Malinga st Dhoni b Chahal 8 Vishwa Fernando b Bumrah 0 Extras: (lb-6 w-10) 16 Total: (all out, 43.2 overs) 216 Fall of wickets: 1-74 D. Gunathilaka,2-139 N. Dickwella,3-150 K. Mendis,4-166 U. Tharanga,5-169 C. Kapugedera,6-176 W. Hasaranga,7-178 T. Perera,8-187 L. Sandakan,9-209 L. Malinga,10-216 V. Fernando

Bowling:B. Kumar 6 - 0 - 33 0(w-3),H. Pandya 6 - 0 - 35 - 0(w3), J. Bumrah 6.2 - 0 - 22 - 2(w2), Y. Chahal 10 - 0 - 60 - 2(w-1), K. Jadhav 5 - 0 - 26 - 2(w-1), A. Patel 10 - 0 - 34 – 3.

INDIA Innings Ro. Sharma run out (Kapugedera) 4 S. Dhawan not out 132 V. Kohli not out 82 Extras: (w-2) 2 Total: (for 1 wickets, 28.5 overs) 220 Fall of wickets: 1-23 Ro. Sharma Did not bat: L. Rahul, M. Dhoni, K. Jadhav, H. Pandya, A. Patel, B. Kumar, J. Bumrah, Y. Chahal Bowling: Lasith Malinga 8 - 0 52 - 0(w-1), Vishwa Fernando 6 - 0 - 43 - 0(w-1),Angelo Mathews 2 - 0 - 9 - 0 Thisara Perera 2 0 - 18 – 0, Lakshan Sandakan 6 - 0 - 63 - 0 Wanidu Hasaranga 4.5 - 0 - 35 – 0.

Alonso double for Chelsea spoils Spurs’ Wembley opener (REUTERS) - Two goals from Marcos Alonso gave Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in the first-ever Premier League game at Wembley Stadium.

For all the noise and wall of flags that greeted their arrival, Spurs needed an early goal to feel at ease in their new surroundings.

It was Chelsea, though, who made the breakthrough against the run of play on 23 minutes when Alonso thumped home a superb free kick from 20 metres after Dele Alli had fouled David Luiz.

The shock jolted Spurs who spent much of the game peppering Chelsea’s goal, with Harry Kane hitting the post and Christian Eriksen also going close.

They eventually got a goal on 82 minutes but only when Michy Batshuayi headed an Eriksen free kick into his own goal two minutes after coming on as a substitute.

The striker looked disconsolate but the goal heralded a frantic finale in which Tottenham had a penalty appeal turned down and Chelsea scored on the counter-attack after 88 minutes when Luiz intercepted and Pedro fed Alonso on the overlap.

The fullback shot low but must have been as surprised as anyone when goalkeeper Hugo Lloris somehow let the ball through.

“We played a very good game,” said Alonso. “I don’t think I ever hit a better free kick than the first,

not even in training.”

Midfielder Luiz was at the heart of most that was good about Chelsea, breaking down Tottenham attacks and pushing his team forward. Asked what instructions he had received from manager Antonio Conte, Luiz said: “Run.” He added: “He told me to cut out the space to create. We were clever and played a very good game.”

It was Chelsea’s fourth successive win over Spurs at the national stadium -the previous three were in cup games -- and hardly bodes well for Tottenham’s temporary home while their new stadium is being built. In their past 11 games at Wembley, Spurs have won only twice.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

Mo Farah wins final race in Britain

BRITISH distance great Mo Farah sprinted clear to win the 3000m at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting in his final track meeting on home soil.

The 34-year-old, who is switching to road racing in 2018, came home in seven minutes 38.64 seconds.

“This is it. All I dreamed of as a youngster was running for Britain,” said the double Olympic champion.

Elsewhere, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith came fifth in a 100m race won by Olympic champion Elaine Thompson.

Farah took his sixth World Championship gold in London earlier this month - to go with two silvers - and also has four Olympic titles.

Neither his narrow failure to complete another 5,000m and 10,000m world title double in London nor the leak of an interim report from an anti-doping investigation into his American coach Alberto Salazar had dampened the Birmingham crowd’s enthusiasm for this send-off.

Farah - who has won more world-level track gold medals than any other British athlete in history - was roared to victory by a raucous crowd, who had to be reminded to save their cheers as the athletes prepared

for the gun.

He said on Friday that his UK track farewell would be more “celebratory” than the frenzied and, at times, physical contests from which

Farah for Tokyo 2020?

After a lap of honour in the rain, Farah denied newspaper reports that he had split with coach Barry Fudge, who has overseen his

Farah will race for the final time on the track at the Zurich Diamond League meeting on Thursday, 24 August and finish his season at September’s Great North Run.

JAMAICA’S THOMPSON BACK ON FORM After an underwhelming fifth place at the recent World Championships, Jamaica’s

Britain’s Asher-Smith, who came within 0.07 seconds of a medal in the 200m in London, finished ahead of the Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers - the 200m world champion.

That scalp, combined with a season’s best of 11.13 in the heats, will add to a sense of what might have been for the 21-year-old British record holder, whose 2017 was disrupted a broken foot suffered

of 10.97.

In the men’s 200m, surprise world champion Ramil Guliyev took victory ahead of American Ameer Webb, with Botswana’s Isaac Makwala fourth and Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake back in fifth.

Elsewhere, Kyle Langford finished sixth in the 800m behind winner Nijel Amos, world silver medallist Adam Kszczot and British rival

Mo Farah won his final track race in Great Britain in style.

he took 10,000m gold and 5,000m silver in London and so it proved.

Adel Mechaal, who finished just off a podium place in the world 1500m final 10 days ago, pushed to overtake Farah down the back straight in Birmingham. But just as at the Diamond League meeting in London earlier this year, the Spaniard was left trailing

by Farah’s formidable kick for home.

The Briton’s time was well short of the 7:32.76 he clocked at the same event last year to break Dave Moorcroft’s national record.

training programme since he distanced himself from Salazar.

“Where did you get that from? Barry is still my righthand man,” he said when asked about his relationship with British Athletics’ head of endurance.

Farah went on to add there was a slim chance that he might yet represent Britain at Tokyo 2020.

“If I’m the best in the marathon and can compete… it depends,” he said. “I think it is going to take at least two or three marathons to get it right to learn from it. It is not easy.”

Pouderoyen thrash wales as WDFA Namilo U-17 continues

Elaine Thompson (centre) failed to win a medal at the World Championships in London.

Olympic champion Thompson returned to form as she vanquished a high-quality field with 100m victory in 10.93 seconds.

in February.

Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, who won 100m and 200m silver in London, finished in a familiar second with a time

Elliot Giles, while world high jump champion Mutaz Essa Barshim set a new meeting record and world lead with a winning jump of 2.40m.

Tense clashes expected as Corona Invitational football resumes tonight

Police steamrolled Black Pearl FC when action in the Corona Invitational continued. Three more matches are confirmed for tonight.

From L-R Pouderoyen scorers, Keanu Lawrence and Devin Gaskin

THE merciless Pouderoyen team oblitherated the Wales United 6-2 as the NAMILCO U-17 football tournament organised by the West Demerara Football Association (WDFA) continued.

Keanu Lawrence was the chief destroyer, scoring in the 6th, 22nd, 24th, 30th and 90th for his side, while Devin Gaskin slotted home in the 80th.

Wales United, however,

The Eagles FC scorers

was not about to let the game go scoreless on their part as Andrew Sookram and Telbert Baptiste scored in the 42nd and 50th.

Meanwhile, Eagles FC beat Den Amstel 4-2, with a double from FC Eagles scorers Ronaldo Macey, who scored a double (4th and 75th) while Glanray Duncan (32nd) and Adrain Adelph (60th) making good their claims.

Den Amstel on the other hand had Anthony Benn(59th) and Ruben Dainty(68) scoring.

In the other scheduled game, both Jetty Gunners and Uitvlugt failed to show up with neither team earning any points.

There was also a walkover for the Golden Warriors team after the Crane Rovers failed to show up for the game.

FOOTBALL action resumes this evening when the Corona Invitational gets going at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, Bourda from 17:00hrs.

The first of the night’s matches will see Flamingo FC against East Veldt, followed

by Camptown FC playing Beacons and Western Tigers playing GFC. In the most recent round of action, Police thrashed Black Pearl FC 12-0.

Scoring commenced as early as the 10th minute thanks to Dwain Jacobs, with Keon Duke doubling 10 minutes later to take the score to 2-0.

The onslaught didn’t stop there as Quincy Hold-

er (30th), Rawle Thornhill (42nd) and Anthio Wallace (45th) ensured that the score reflected the dominance of the eventual winners.

Police resumed their scoring as soon as the second half commenced with Jacobs scoring in the 46th, before Holder completed his brace in the 56th and his hat-trick in the 64th.

Thronhill scored his second and the team’s 9th in the 65th and the doors were left open with Duke scoring his second in the 67th. Holder scored his fourth in the 68th with Wallace scoring the team’s 12th in the 74th.

The second game featured an upset as Northern Rangers

disposed of Pele 3-0 with Anthony Sancho netting twice in the 7th and 22nd and Stephon Reynolds scoring in the 36th.

The Rangers were up for a serious task and sent a stern warning to those teams in the tournament, as their positivity and build up play allowed their victory on the night.

In the third game, it was all Rolex Smith as the Riddim Squad overcame the Santos side in another shock encounter.

Santos had no answer for the lone goal that stood in front of them and while they had numerous chances, they were unable to make them count.

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

Persaud and Seaton continue to tumble records as Guyana shows improvement at Goodwill GUYANA’s Aleka Persaud and Leon Seaton continued to revamp records at the Goodwill Swim Meet, leading the country’s markedly improved showing at the meet, where the home side had more than doubled last year’s medals tally, after amassing 32 confirmed medals by Saturday’s end, when the competition continued at the National Aquatic Centre in Liliendaal.

Guyana’s progress was also reflected on the points table, which is seeing a surprising upset as Bahamas hijacked several of the 8 and under and 9 – 10 age group wins, to edge into third place, displacing longstanding third place finishers, Barbados.

Though the final points tally was still unavailable up to late last night, by Saturday’s end Guyana had already put together 527

points, standing with a strong fourth.

Barbados was looking at a fifth place standing, with 261 points, while Bahamas had gathered 577.5 points for a strong third.

In the top two positions, long-time adversaries Suriname and Trinidad continued their battle for supremacy, with Suriname etching a slight lead over the defending champions.

By the end of the 84 events,

Action at this year’s Goodwill Swim Meet

Suriname had out together 830 points, just 15.5 points in front of Trinidad.

Leon Seaton

After setting the boys 11 – 12 freestyle 100m record at 58.19 seconds for his first gold medal on Friday when the competition started, Seaton refurbished the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly records of the age category on Saturday.

Seaton, who had also taken gold on Friday in the 100m backstroke (1:10.49s), opened his Saturday session with another gold in the 200m IM (2:33.95s), and followed up with another in the 50m freestyle.

In the 50m freestyle he would eclipse the 26.62 seconds record that Jonathan Constantine set some two years ago, clocking 26.18 seconds.

A bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke (1:23.54s) would follow before he dived in for another record in the 50m butterfly with a time of 29.20 seconds, again shaving milliseconds off the seven year old 29.75 seconds record that was held by Zuhayr Pigot.

Also in the boys 11 – 12 category, Guyana’s Raekwon Noel also made it to the podium, after he took bronze in the 200m IM with a time of (2:38.11s).

In the boys 9 – 10 category, Paul Mahaica had a time of 2 minutes and 50.34 seconds in this event, which landed him a bronze medal.

Over in the girls 9 – 10 category, Persaud set the 50m butterfly record at 31.41 seconds, as she picked up her fifth gold medal of the meet, adding to the two silver that she also won on Friday.

On Friday Persaud ended with a gold from her performance in the 100m freestyle (1:05.78s), and two silver in the 50m breaststroke (39.06s) and 100m backstroke (1:21.04s).

She came back even more fired up on Saturday, winning gold in the 200m IM (2:46.61s), 50m freestyle (29.29s), and 100m breaststroke (1:25.65s).

In the 100m backstroke, Patrice Mahaica took a bronze for Guyana (1:22.75s).

Other medals earned over the weekend included a gold, silver and a bronze from Jadyn George, two bronze from Nikita Fiedtkou, and two bronze from Phillip DeNobrega in the boys 15 – 17 50 m butterfly (27.53s) and the 50m breaststroke (31.78s)

Aleka Persaud

Asian conquest Smith’s top priority Holding reignites call for controversial as Aussies arrive in Bangladesh two-tier system following Windies heavy defeat DHAKA (Reuters) - Aus- Smith said. “Now it is an squad.

LONDON, (CMC) – West Indies great Michael Holding has reignited the discussion of a two-tier system in world cricket, in the wake of the Caribbean side’s devastating innings defeat to England at Edgbaston.

team like this?

“I played Test cricket for 12 years. I never played a Test match against Sri Lanka because at that time Sri Lanka just weren’t good enough to play against the West Indies.

Legendary former West Indies speedster, Michael Holding.

The Windies were rolled over twice in two days for 168 and 137 in their first and second innings respectively, losing 19 wickets on Saturday to collapse inside three days in the first Test.

“That has been in my mind since this Test series started – and I’ve been talking about it for years,” said Holding, a long-serving broadcaster on Sky Sports cricket commentary team.

“What is the point of having a team outclassing another

“What is the point of having a contest like this? It’s not good for cricket.”

Last year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) shelved a proposal for the two-tier system which would have seen the top seven teams in the world form the top division and the five lower-placed sides pushed into a second tier.

West Indies, currently ranked eighth in Tests, would campaign in the second tier along with the likes

of minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

The idea is likely to be revisited in 2019.

West Indies’ continuing decline, however, has kept the discussion alive and Saturday’s humbling innings and 209-run loss has put the issue back, front and centre.

Holding, a legendary member of the fearsome Windies pace quartet of the 1970s and 80s, said the current team lacked the quality to properly compete with England, but needed to get their selection right for the next Test starting in five days.

“We heard a lot of talk, of course, from captain [Jason Holder] and coach [Stuart Law] along the lines of ‘don’t write off the West Indies, we have a chance’. That is bravado,” the Jamaican maintained.

“What they need to do is sit down and think to themselves ‘how can we actually do something on the field?

What have we got?’”

He added: “They are not a great team – everybody knows that, but you’ve still got to make the right moves. If you lose doing the right thing, then fine – but you can’t start off doing the right thing by making wrong selections.”

tralia have an opportunity to improve their record in Asia when they meet Bangladesh in a two-Test series starting next Sunday, captain Steve Smith has said but refused to state outright if his side were favourites to win.

Australia have won just two of their 22 tests in Asia in the last 10 years while Bangladesh drew a two-test series 1-1 against England last year and pose a serious challenge at home with throes of spinners in their side on turning pitches.

“I think it is going to be a great series,” Smith told reporters after Australia’s arrival in the Asian country. “Bangladesh are very good here. I am not picking a favourite.

“We have to be confident in our skill set and hopefully we can get our processes right and have a really good series.”

Earlier this year Smith’s side lost a fourTest series in India 2-1 and the skipper said the two matches against Bangladesh would be an ideal platform to show what they had learned from the defeat.

“We’d certainly like to have done a lot better on the subcontinent that’s for sure,”

opportunity for us to change (our record).

“I thought we did some things really well in India.

We just needed to do it for little bit longer, and consistently.

Australia captain Steve Smith

“This is another opportunity to showcase our skills, show what we learned over there and hopefully give our best foot forward.”

Australia surprisingly dropped Steve O’Keefe, 32, from their squad for Bangladesh even after the left-arm spinner impressed during the series in India.

O’Keefe, with 19 wickets, was Australia’s joint highest wicket-taker with Nathan Lyon in India but had to make way for left-arm spinner Ashton Agar. Australia also have uncapped 23-year-old leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson in their

“It is unlucky,” Smith said. “He did very well in the first Test match in India and had some contributions throughout in the other three Test matches as well.”

Smith said the inclusion of Agar, 23, was aimed at developing him for the 2021 tour of India.

“We just see it as a bit of a time to get us someone new into the group,” Smith said.

“Ashton has been around the group for a quite a while now, he’s worked on his art and he’s becoming a lot more consistent in what he’s doing. It’d be fantastic to see him get an opportunity.

“It’s four years until we next go to India which is always a tough tour for us and one that I particularly as captain want to win (at some stage) throughout my tenure.

“It’s an opportunity for Ashton to get some experience in these conditions and hopefully improve, with an eye to the next time we go to India as well.”

AUSTRALIA in BANGLADESH 2 2 - 2 3 A u g u s t To u r match, TBC 27-31 August First Test, Dhaka 4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, August 21, 2017

Holder urges Windies players not to lose confidence

BIRMINGHAM, England, (CMC) – Under-fire West Indies captain Jason Holder has urged his players not to lose confidence despite their embarrassing innings defeat inside three days in the day/ night opening Test at Edgbaston.

The Caribbean side was rolled over twice on Saturday’s day three, losing 19 wickets to plummet to an innings and 209run loss and fall behind 1-0 in the three-Test series.

And with the team coming under heavy criticism from nearly all quarters, Holder said his charges needed to continue believing in their ability to turn their fortunes around.

“Obviously the guys are disappointed. We got beat within three days and we just weren’t up to scratch,” a glum Holder told media here.

“But it’s just important for us to regroup. We can’t drop our heads. It’s only one Test match down [and] the series is not lost.

It’s important for us to come back stronger.”

He added: “I obviously believe [we can win]. I have to believe. There is no point in me dropping my head. I think any team is beatable on any particular day. We just have to come out and play the cricket that would suggest that.

“We’ve got to keep our heads in the game, we’ve got

to remain positive and play the game of cricket that we know how to play.”

West Indies began the day on 44 for one in their first innings in reply to England’s massive 514 for eight declared, but capitulated quickly to be all out for 168, half-hour after lunch.

Jermaine Blackwood made an unbeaten 79 in the West Indies first innings.

Following on by 346, the Windies were then steamrolled for 137, just over an hour after tea, to extend their dismal record of not having won a Test in England in 17 years.

With little time to regroup before the next Test bowls off in Leeds on Friday, Holder

held out hope that turning the series around was not mission impossible.

“It’s not an easy job, but I don’t think it’s impossible.

We’ve just got to believe,” Holder reiterated.

“It’s important that we don’t drop our heads. [We have] to stay in the game, stay in the fight. England were beaten a couple Test matches ago by South Africa and we’ve competed really in the last few Test matches we’ve played.

“We’ve beaten Pakistan who beat England here last year, so it’s just important for us to stay with it. We need to go back and formulate some plans and recuperate and come back stronger.”

Amidst the gloom of defeat, Holder singled out batsman Jermaine Blackwood whose attacking, unbeaten 79 in the first innings saved the Windies from total embarrassment.

“We were disappointing in this Test match. We lacked consistency when we bowled and obviously we didn’t put up any runs in the first or second innings,” he pointed out.

“One positive obviously is Jermaine Blackwood. I was really, really appreciative of the way he played. He was like his normal self after coming back into Test cricket, so I was very, very pleased with him.”

Guyana remain unbeaten in Regional U19 one-day championship …Barbados lose again

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, (CMC) – Guyana remained unbeaten in the Regional Under-19 one-day Championship when they beat Jamaica by 16 runs in round two here Saturday.

Playing at Molineaux, Guyana posted 158 all out off 37.1 overs, with Raymond Perez top-scoring with 39, Ramnarine Chatura getting 33 and Kevelon Anderson, an unbeaten 26.

Kristoph Virgo claimed three for 26 while West Indies Under-19 left-arm spinner Jeavor Royal picked up two for 25.

In reply, Jamaica were dismissed for 142 off 40.2 overs with captain Brad Barnes making 42 and Royal again showing his all-round ability with 36.

They were undermined by seamer Ronaldo Ali Mohammed who grabbed four for 19 while left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd (2-29) and off-spinner Bhaskar Yadram (2-39) finished with two wickets apiece.

Jamaica were stumbling at 20 for three in the eighth over before Barnes and Royal came to their side’s rescue.

Barnes, who faced 65 balls and counted five fours and one six, added 27 for the fourth wicket with Raewin Senior (5)

and 21 for the fifth wicket with Andre McCarty (9).

Once Barnes departed, Royal took over, belting a pair of fours and sixes in a 44-ball knock as he put on 31 for the seventh with Rashni Roye who made 23 not out off 27 deliveries.

However, the innings lost momentum following Royal’s dismissal and Guyana grabbed the initiative.

At Conaree, ICC Americas won their first game of the tournament when they upset Leeward Islands by 15 runs.

Pranav Sharma top-scored with 43 and captain Bhavindu Adhihetty chipped in with 30 as ICC Americas reached 158 off 34 overs.

In reply, Shacoy Floyd topscored with 34 and Kadeem Henry got 24 but the Leewards were held to 143 for nine off 34 overs.

Left-arm spinner Bhavindu Adhihetty was the best bowler with four for 34 with off-spinner Rommel Shahzad supporting with three for 18.

At Verchilds, Barbados lost their second straight game when they went down by 22 runs to Windward Islands after failing to chase down a paltry 136 in a game reduced to 20 overs.

Guyana remain unbeaten in Regional U19 one-day championship See Page 23

Warriors alive after Walton show

By Rajiv Bisnauth

THE Guyana Amazon Warriors kept their 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League campaign alive after opener Chadwick Walton waded into the Barbados Tridents’ attack to hasten a four-wicket win last evening at the National Stadium, Providence.

The Warriors season as of last night was quickly becoming a matter of pride. With one win from six games, a loss last evening could have severely dented the Warriors semi-final qualification chances.

But, Walton clubbed a brutal 92 off just 57 balls, with seven fours and six sixes, in a clinical show of power. His approach to what seemed a stiff target was simple outstanding, as the Warriors reached 160-6, with five balls to spare.

With five runs needed from the last over, Assad Fudadin hit a first-ball four before a wide secured the win.

Earlier in the evening, the Warriors were brutalised by a Dwayne Smith storm, who chalked up his fourth T20 century, with a brutal display of hitting that set the hosts a challenging target.

Smith, once a Warriors recruit, bullied his way to a magnificent 100 from just 70 balls, as the Warriors bowlers had little answer to his broad strokes, knowing that their margin for error was so small.

However, there is not a lot any bowler can do when Smith is in this kind of mood.

He smashed ten fours and five sixes.

But the Warriors had only themselves to blame for the debacle, as they made one costly blunder in the 13th over when Smith received an unexpected lifeline when Keemo Paul had him caught on the long-on boundary

Turn to page 19

Chadwick Walton clubbed a brutal 92 off just 57 balls. (Photo: Adrian Narine)

The huge crowd last evening left the National Stadium with something to smile about. (Photo: Adrian Narine) See Page 22

Holding reignites call for controversial two-tier system following Windies heavy defeat Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

Dwayne Smith celebratesafter reaching his fourth T20 hundred. (Photo: Adrian Narine) MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 2017