Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 19-03-2022

SATURDAY 19th March, 2022

‘We are one family’

No.106667

–– President Ali tells gathering at Phagwah celebration at GCC ground

‘Colourful eruptions’ as Phagwah returns after two years

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Scenes from Phagwah celebrations (Photo credit: Carl Croker, Delano Williams and DPI)

‘We are one family’

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

–– President Ali tells gathering at Phagwah celebration at GCC ground

By Tamica Garnett AFTER an absence of two years due to COVID-19, the annual ‘Holi Celebrations’ hosted by the Indian High Commission in Georgetown returned with an explosion of colours and love at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground (GCC) on Friday.

The event was attended by President Dr Irfaan Ali; First Lady, Arya Ali; Prime Minister Brigadier, (ret’d) Mark Phillips and several diplomats, including U.S. Ambassador Sarah Ann-Lynch; British High Commissioner, Jane Miller; EU Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Cantó, China Ambassador, Guo Haiyan and CARICOM Secretary- General Carla Barnett, among others.

Several members of the Opposition were also present including General-Secretary of the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R), Geeta Chandan-Edmond.

Addressing the well-attended gathering with Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa on stage, President Ali praised the festival and urged all to celebrate each other.

“If we can translate this beautiful nature of colour and create a world in which

President Dr Irfaan Ali and First Lady Arya Ali interact with a child during the Holi celebration (Elvin Croker photo) the colourful nature erase any over ambition of any singular colour, what we will achieve is enormous.” the President said, adding: “The beauty of the festival is the colourful nature that it brings out when the fusion of the colours come together in joy and happiness, when the fusion of the colour embraces each other in peace and love.

When the beautiful nature of the colour blends with each other to create a magnificent and beautiful cohort called A wide array of coloured powders that were humanity.” available during the Holi celebration During the celebration, and water. They were de- were also treated to cultural the attendees were provided lighted to meet with their songs and dances. with a bountiful and wide colleagues and celebrate Holi or Phagwah is an array of coloured powder the festival with them. They ancient Hindu festival but in Guyana, it is celebrated

by Hindus and non-Hindus alike.

Phagwah is also known

President Dr Irfaan Ali (fourth from left) and First Lady Arya Ali (second from right), with Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K. J. Srinivasa (left); CARICOM Secretary-General, Carla Barnett (third from left); British High Commissioner, Jayne Miller (third from right); and others (Elvin Croker photo)

President Dr Irfaan Ali (right) and Deputy Speaker Lennox Shuman (Elvin Croker photo) as the Festival of Spring, the Festival of Colours or the Festival of Love. The festival celebrates the eternal and divine love of Radha and Krishna and also signifies the triumph of good over evil, as it celebrates the victory of Lord Vishnu as Narasimha Narayana over Hiranyakashipu.

President Ali noted that the message of good over evil which Phagwah signifies should remind all that they must be humble enough to understand that the true nature of life is in giving.

WORK HARD “The religious significance of goodness over evil is a given. All of us must work hard every day to do a little bit better.

When I say all of us, this includes myself. We are given the capacity to think, reason and analyse; we must use that capacity that is given to humans to be better, to do better,” he said.

Phagwah is celebrated with the showering of water, coloured powder and coloured liquid in a setting of happiness and unity among large gatherings; however, these celebrations were curtailed over the past two years due to measures implemented to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The measures included restrictions against social gathering.

However, this year the restrictions on social activities and gatherings among See page 4

A section of the crowd at the Holi celebration at the GCC Ground on Friday (Elvin Croker photo)

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‘We are one ...

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others were removed by the President.

The new regulations follow an increase in vaccination of citizens against COVID-19.

During the past two years, thousands of persons contracted the virus in Guyana and hundreds have died.

“After more than two years we can understand how important life is and more importantly, how important cherishing moments in life is. It’s not about cherishing moments in our individual life, but more importantly cherishing moments of our country life, our community life and the life of our world as a whole,” Dr Ali noted.

From left: Deputy Speaker, Lennox Shuman; Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips and Indian High Commissioner, Dr K. J. Srinivasa (Elvin Croker) The President also noted that the world is faced with many difficulties today, such as hunger, poverty, lack of water and war.

“As we celebrate we must spare a moment of

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good thought and silent prayer for these people, because we are all one family of humanity,” he said.

High Commissioner Dr Srinivasa noted that the holiday has become a

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symbol of India.

“It has become a festival of the nation and people eagerly await the festival for the enormous joy that it brings to them,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Man pleads guilty to attempted murder

FORTY-TWO-YEAROLD cane-cutter, Warren Dennis, who is accused of brutally attacking a woman with a cutlass, has pleaded guilty to an attempted murder charge before a High Court Judge.

Dennis was arraigned at the Demerara High Court before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall on Thursday and admitted that on April 23, 2017, in the county of Demerara, he wounded the womWarren Dennis an with intent to commit murder.

Dennis will return to court on March 31, 2022, for the reading of a probation report followed by his sentencing.

According to reports, on the day in question at about 19:15 hours, the victim was attacked by Dennis, who was armed with a cutlass.

He chased her into a nearby trench and dealt her several chops about her body; one severed her left hand from the wrist.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Dharmic Sabha celebrates Phagwah at Everest Cricket Ground

THE Everest Cricket Ground was transformed into a mixture of colours as the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha hosted its annual Holi Utsav, where Guyanese from all walks of life gathered to celebrate Phagwah.

After a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, persons converged at the Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown ground where many experienced “the festival of colours” as they embraced each other with the powder and water blend.

The gathering was entertained by Ganindra, Kishan Sugrim, Sookrane, Rekha, Suraj Singh, among many others.

Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, who was also at the event, gave a brief greeting to the gathering.

“Happy holidays to all of Guyana…Hope you all have fun and I’m happy to see you out here…

Let’s get back to work to change our country,” he said.

The gathering was treated to live drumming from a Tassa group and also Chowtal gols.

This year’s event was sponsored by ICEE and Malta, Toolsie Persaud Limited, Digicel, Ansa McAl, Demerara Bank Limited, E-Networks and NTN. For the last two years, the event was cancelled since Guyana was battling the effects of the pandemic.

Earlier this week, the government lifted the restrictions on social activities and gatherings.

The provision of proof of vaccination to enter public buildings has also been removed.

While there were performances on stage, some in the crowd put on their own performances, much to the amusement of others

Phagwah celebrations at Everest (Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

A Return To Normalcy

PRESIDENT Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali in his Phagwah message to the nation urged all Guyanese to reflect on the religious significance of Phagwah which, he said, embodied the shared beliefs of people of all faiths and nationalities that good will triumph over evil and that gloom and difficulties are transitory and will eventually give way to a resurgence of hope and harmony.

These are indeed encouraging statements which Guyanese can relate to in a direct way. The country experienced a period of dark and undemocratic rule for nearly three decades until democracy was finally restored on October 5, 1992. And, in the March 2020 elections, another attempt was made by elements associated with that sordid past to once again subvert the will of the Guyanese people. Thankfully, in the end the truth won and the democratic wishes of the electorate eventually prevailed.

The fact is that there is a strong correlation between democracy and development.

Put in another way, there is a relationship between evil and destruction. The most

depressing period in our history, both from a political and economic standpoint, was when the rights and freedoms of the Guyanese people were trampled upon by a power-hungry cabal that was more concerned with the perks of office than with putting in place the necessary policy measures to advance the quality of life of the Guyanese people.

But as a country we cannot afford to look backwards. Instead, we have to look confidently to the future, fortified in the knowledge and conviction that truth will always prevail and, as the message of Phagwah so forcefully reminded us, good will always triumph over evil.

As pointed out by President Ali, Guyanese are a resilient people and even though confronted in the past with enormous challenges under daunting and difficult circumstances, they have proven to be adept and resourceful in overcoming those challenges.

“I am supremely confident that with the interventions planned by my government, we will surmount the problems associated with the global supply chain crisis and the effects of the war in Eastern Europe,” the President

asserted.

This year, as observed by President Ali, we have much greater cause for celebration.

Our country is on the path towards a return to normalcy.

The evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is waning not only in Guyana, but in several other parts of the world. In view of these encouraging trends, President Ali after careful assessment of the situation, took a decision to relax social restrictions, even though he urged Guyanese to continue to be vigilant and not become too complacent.

The good thing is the Guyana economy is getting stronger and stronger by the day. And this despite the two-year long COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation last year, which destroyed a significant part of the country’s infrastructure, which resulted from excessive rainfall and rising sea levels.

With the emergence of oil and gas, new business opportunities have opened up and the private sector has been rising admirably to the task in terms of new investments and job creation. Indeed, there is now a new

mood of optimism and hope gripping the society, one that essentially suggests that the worst days are behind us and the dawn of a new day is about to appear on the horizon.

But even as we bask in the glory of our rising prosperity, we cannot lose sight of the tragedy that is unfolding on the bigger international stage, where thousands of lives are being lost, including that of women and children. The current war in Ukraine, apart from the loss of lives and the destruction of property has resulted in one of the biggest humanitarian crises in modern history, as millions of people are forced to flee their homes and seek shelter in neighbouring countries.

This war is turning out to be an ill-wind that is blowing no one any good. The war has already impacted on the cost of living of people all over the world, including Guyana, due mainly to rising fuel prices and shortages of grain of which both Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers on the world market.

One can only hope that the war will come to a speedy end and that peace and harmony will ultimately prevail.

Seeking to blame Peter for Paul’s work

Dear Editor,

KEITH Lowenfield remained at GECOM for 527 days after the General and Regional elections of 2020.

Political parties are supposed to submit campaign-expense statements at least 35 days after elections; Yog Mahadeo and Article 13 had 192 days to raise the question with Lowenfield, but did not. Lowenfield was fired and is facing charges of electoral fraud; however, Article 13 saw it fit to upbraid Lowenfield’s successor, Vishnu Persaud, for failing to find those submissions (if any exists).

The tone of Article 13’s criticism of Persaud seems to suggest that Persaud is somehow responsible for Lowenfield’s failures. I find this opportunistic, asinine and cowardly and would suggest that Article 13 find a legal mechanism to force answers from where they should be found, namely, Mr Lowenfield. The phenomenon of deliberately shifting blame is trending and not confined to the social butterflies of ‘civil society.’

In 2017, under David Granger’s

APNU+AFC Coalition Administration, two ‘stale-dated’ cheques were accepted as bonds by the Staff of the Ministry of National Security (now Home Affairs); however, the newly appointed permanent secretary was somehow expected to explain how this occurred over three years before she took the job.

It was reported “After PS Thomas as the Chief Accounting Officer shifting almost every question to her subordinate officers, M P Vishwa Mahadeo introduced a verbal motion to have the agency “go, sort themselves out, and come again.” Seemingly placing the blame on PS Thomas for the failures of her predecessor. There must have been a surfeit of ignorance in the Mahadeo household during the siblings’ formative years as a clear deficit of common sense and ability to discern where the blame lies. However, these incidents pale in comparison to the transgressions against logic and fact contained in the USAID report which was prepared by three Guyanese women.

Consider this statement: “National elections were held on March 2, 2020,

and won by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) led by Irfaan Ali; although the election results were delayed due to the litigation of numerous fraud allegations and other legal challenges.”

One would be hard-pressed to discern that David Granger and APNU+AFC blatantly attempted to steal the elections via the Mingo bedsheet method.

An ambiguity of language wherever APNU+AFC transgressed is the theme throughout the report and a cherry-picking from news and agency reports to cast doubts on the PPP/C administrations, (past and present).

Editor, despite the abundance of verified corruption in the Granger administration, the report is oblivious to the Drug Bond, Demerara Harbour Bridge Feasibility Study, Energy contracts to Bangles, Beds and et al. scandals, the USAID report shockingly states as fact, “The (PPP/C) administration’s goal is to shed its party’s previous reputation for corruption and influence by its relationship with China.” Having read the PPP/C’s manifesto which includes prom-

ises of house lots, schoolchildren cash grants and reversal of over 200 onerous taxes imposed by APNU+AFC among others, I have failed to find any assertion similar to the one made in the report; it renders the entire report fraudulent.

USAID must be cognisant of the flaws in its report (presented with a disclaimer) and may find it prudent to broaden the ethnicity and gender of future consultant teams to ensure that the credibility of the organisation is maintained; problematic areas are correctly identified and solutions proposed are pragmatic.

Questioning and criticism of those in the administration of our country remain an important part of the democracy we enjoy, but those questions must also come from a clean and honest place.

Seeking to muddy waters and blame Peter for Paul are the works of those seeking to conflate and dissipate the dishonest deeds of the APNU+AFC for partisan purposes.

Yours sincerely, Robin Singh

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Guyana will once again become the breadbasket of the Caribbean

Dear Editor,

I’VE taken note of a letter published in the Tuesday, March 15, 2022 edition of the Kaieteur News, titled: “Agriculture sector being neglected; inquiry needed.” Please allow me some amount of space in your newspaper to respond, point by point, with the facts and achievements of the sector since August 2020 when the President Ali-led Government took office.

The writer spoke about the US $12.5 million Enmore Packaging Plant being leased to someone he refers to as a political figure. I can say with absolute certainty that the representatives of the company in question never conversed with the author of this letter about their political affiliation, nor have they publically categorised themselves as political figures.

This matter has also been addressed several times by the President, the Minister of Agriculture, and the company that acquired the lease.

The government’s decision to relocate the packaging operations from Enmore to Albion forms part of its plan to consolidate the sector to make it more viable and profitable. Rather than making the workers redundant, as was the case when the previous administration closed the estates, the President ensured that one of the terms of the agreement was for the 42 workers attached to the packaging facility to be retained and trained for their new roles when the facility is up and running. An additional 458 jobs will also be created by the company over time, resulting in a significant boost in employment along the East Coast of Demerara.

The issue of sheet piling has also been addressed several times. As a matter of fact, last August the ministry responded to the issues regarding the retendering for sheet piles. In that response, it was noted that “the NDIA, as the procuring entity, went to public tender for steel sheet piles with specifications set by its technical staff. The NDIA had asked for an extension of the closing date, which was granted by the NPTAB. The bids were closed and evaluated; Cabinet granted its “no objection” in keeping with the Procurement Act. The NPTAB then issued the award to the successful bidder, who subsequently wrote withdrawing from the process as he could no longer provide the sheet piles at the tendered price.”

“The NDIA requested to retender a second time and this was granted by the NPTAB. The new open tender went through the same process as the first and it was found that the prices quoted by the bidders were even higher, as a result of the increased cost of global shipping.

The NDIA then proceeded to retender the third time, but inadvertently omitted to annul the second tender. The results of the third tender, however, were the same, the prices were exorbitantly high and above the budgetary allocation for that capital project. To reiterate, this issue was one of the exorbitantly high prices for these imported materials at the required specifications and insufficient budgetary allocations.”

The trawler-licensing issue is another matter that was addressed extensively. This issue has long been put to bed as all parties involved were able to come to an amicable resolution.

Land grants were also mentioned. As someone who not so long ago engaged the ministry for assistance with accessing farmlands to rear pigs, I wish to enlighten the writer that the Ministry of Agriculture does not have the authority to ‘grant lands.’ The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission is the executing body responsible for the country’s land resources.

Farmers in the MMA Scheme, however, are granted leases for agricultural purposes after they would’ve applied and are found to have satisfied the requirements set by the MMA. The Ministers of Agriculture and Legal Affairs mentioned that when the government took office, a massive backlog of land applications in the MMA Scheme was discovered. This backlog is currently being addressed by both ministries.

I was quite amused when the writer mentioned the closure of the four estates and the pump fiasco. Concerning the closure of the four estates, the writer needs to direct that question to the former president and government, as those estates were closed and thousands of workers made redundant during their tenure.

This government, the PPP Government, understanding the importance of sugar has moved to consolidate and resume operations at some of those closed estates. Thousands of persons have already been rehired and billions invested to rehabilitate and restore sugar factories and fields.

The issue with the pumps should also be directed to the previous government, more so the former Minister of Agriculture. It was during his tenure that this deal was made and only when the PPP government took office and Minister Zulfikar Mustapha assumed the role as Agriculture Minister that this matter was brought to the attention of Guyanese citizens.

Minister Mustapha’s 2022 Budget presentation exposed in its entirety the many shortcomings of the contract for those pumps. The matter has since been brought to the attention of the Indian High Commissioner to Guyana and the Attorney General, who is working with the Ministry of Agriculture to resolve the matter.

Farm relief attributing to floods and payment for flood work not done were also mentioned. Last year, Guyana experienced its most devastating flood, a flood that destroyed almost 90 per cent of the agriculture sector.

After consultation with affected farmers and other stakeholders, the government decided that the best way to assist farmers was to distribute flood-relief grants to those who were affected.

Over 40,000 farmers and households benefited from this initiative. In addition to the grants, the NDIA also worked around the clock to drain flooded farms and pastures, clear blocked and silted waterways, and empolder and rehabilitate dams and farmlands across the country. The GLDA also worked with livestock farmers to feed, relocate and provide medical services to their animals, free of cost.

The NDIA, like any other government entity, has limited resources and as such, engaged persons in the affected areas to assist with drainage works during this period. The engineers were tasked with supervising these operations and farmers and affected residents were engaged to verify that the works were properly done.

The writer also thought it wise to pad his letter with rumours and alleged complaints about the LBI Estate and that “some large Middle Eastern companies are being recruited to establish agriculture in Guyana at the estates.”

If the writer possessed any ethics, he would’ve investigated this supposed rumour before making such a statement. It should be noted and made clear that the government has not made any pronouncement suggesting that it is moving in a direction that will see the closure of the LBI estate. The government engaged senior officials from the Middle East seeking to build stronger relations and recruit investors for various sectors, agriculture included. These

engagements were widely publicized, so for the writer to determine that these companies will somehow take over these estates and displace those employed there is both ridiculous and baseless.

The writer’s mention of these alleged rumours was, in my opinion, a malicious attempt to cause some amount of instability in the industry, a known tactic of the opposition and its agents who operate under aliases and are often featured in this particular newspaper.

Mr Editor, the writer said that there were also complaints about works not being completed on time. What the writer failed to mention, was that the Honourable Minister of Agriculture has on several occasions engaged delinquent contractors on this. With the extended rainy period last year, there were some delays with many construction and rehabilitation projects. These contractors approached the ministry for extensions that were granted only after the engineers and project consultants confirmed that the delays were due to the inclement weather. Other contractors who had delays because of their recognizance, were cautioned and the NPTAB was also notified for future reference.

What can be assumed is that those contractors who were allowed to dillydally in the past without any consequences and are no longer able to operate in such a manner because of the government’s no-nonsense approach to the completion of projects that are funded by taxpayers’ dollars, are claiming that those receiving contracts “lack the capacity” to execute these large projects.

The millers cartel and farmers not being given a fair deal for paddy comments were also misdirected ones. The government on several occasions had engaged the millers, making representation on farmers’ behalf about the prices being paid for paddy. Government ministers have also engaged farmers on this issue.

The issue of low catches has also been addressed by the Ministry of Agriculture in the press several times. Even though the issue of low catches is a global phenomenon caused by different factors such as climate change, the ministry has engaged the EPA and the FAO on the issue and the FAO is currently conducting a study to determine the factors causing low catches in Guyana’s waters. The government has also engaged the Surinamese Government, which resulted in fisherfolk being granted licences to fish in Surinamese waters for the first time in decades.

The writer said there was “a lack of support for the poor and deserving farmers to encourage farm and aquaculture production,” another statement seeking to misinform the general public. Last December the ministry released a statement giving an update on phase one of the brackish-water, shrimp- production project. The release stated that at the time, the construction of 63 out of the 74 fish ponds for the rearing of brackish- water shrimp had been completed.

Shrimp farmers who benefited from this initiative have indicated that they are already reaping the benefits. The successes of this initiative are also reflected in the production figures from December 2021 to January 2022, which shows an increase by 166 per cent.

There has also been a further increase from January 2022 to February 2022 by 28 per cent.

In January 2022, production figures stood at 35,170kg while in February 2022, production figures were 45,040kg. The average monthly production figure for 2021 was only 9,333kg.

The ministry has also been offering support to farmers through improved drainage and irrigation services, improved breeds and genetic materials for livestock and poultry, the removal of VAT for agricultural machinery and inputs, the reduction of land rental and D&I charges, the resumption of the seed and acoushi ant distribution campaign, the blocked drainage programme for farmers in the Pomeroon, countless donations of farming equipment and inputs to small farmers and farming groups in rural communities, the distribution of flood relief grants, the implementation of the Farmers’ Markets, and the introduction of improved rice varieties offering higher yields and improved resistance to pests and diseases. Low-yielding farmers were also able to achieve higher yields through training from the GRDB. Many farming communities now have access to agro-processing facilities and more markets, both locally and regionally, for their produce, while farmers are now able to benefit from farmers’ field schools and training exercises from NAREI and the GRDB. Shadehouse materials have also been made available at affordable prices to farmers.

Persons graduating from GSA and UG are now able to benefit from the ‘Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme,’ a programme that allows youths to plant high-value crops such as carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, utilizing shadehouse techniques, given the impacts of climate change on the sector.

With all these known and well-publicised interventions, the writer has proven himself biased and ill-informed by saying that the government is giving lip service to the people of this country and is working against the poor and underserved.

The government’s commitment to not only developing the local agricultural sector, but to lowering the import bill of all CARICOM member states should not be questioned. Prior to 2015, Guyana held the lead position on agriculture in CARICOM; a position that was willingly surrendered by the David Granger-led administration. It was only when President Ali assumed office that Guyana rescued that position and our President is once again leading the charge in CARICOM. A Ministerial Taskforce was also set up to guide policy direction in this regard. That task force is being chaired by Minister Zulfikar Mustapha. At the just concluded CARICOM Heads of Government Summit in Belize, Guyana’s agricultural sector was highly celebrated. Many countries in CARICOM are now looking to Guyana for leadership and guidance in Food Security and Food Provision matters.

The writer’s call for an inquiry into the neglect of the agricultural sector should’ve been made during the May 2015 to August 2020 period, when the sector saw a massive decline in production, budgetary allocation, infrastructural projects and farmers’ engagement.

If the writer is a real person who lives in Guyana, then he/she should engage the ministry to learn more about what is happening, rather than dissect bits and pieces of issues published in the press that were already addressed by the ministry. It appears as though the writer bears the characteristics of the proverbial ostrich and has his/her head buried in the sand.

The agricultural sector is moving rapidly and Guyana will once again be considered the breadbasket of the Caribbean.

Yours truly, Celestine Johnson

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Phagwah back with a bang!

Colours fill the air at the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport’s Phagwah Festival THE Guyana National Stadium, on Friday afternoon, came to life as persons packed the venue to celebrate Phagwah 2022.

Being the first time in two years since large celebrations for Phagwah were held due to a number of restrictions on social gatherings, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport hosted its Guyana Phagwah Festival.

A sea of colours filled

the National Stadium as persons who had been cooped up in their homes for the last two years turned up to enjoy the festival with family and friends.

Those present were entertained by local Chutney star Vicadi Singh who kept the crowd alive with his song “Neva Gonna Leave” along with a number of other artistes.

Subject Minister Charles Ramson along

Water from a hose ‘rains down’ on the energised crowd

with a number of other officials from the ministry were seen enjoying the festivities.

Abir filled the sky after one of the hosts of the programme instructed those present to throw the colourful powder in the air. Before long, the arena was covered by a large colourful cloud even as water ‘rained down’ on the crowd from hoses at the centre of the stadium.

This group took a break from the celebrations to pose for a photo

A section of the crowd at the Phagwah celebrations

One of the stations where powder was on sale

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

357 graduate from BIT programmes

THREE hundred and fifty seven persons in Berbice have graduated from training programmes at the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) during two graduation ceremonies held on March 15 and 16 at the Sensation Banquet Hall in Upper Corentyne and Outback Adventure, in Gagaram Settlement, East Canje.

In Upper Corentyne, 122 persons received their certificates in nine occupational areas in training carried out in several locations throughout the district including Roxan’s Beauty Salon, RK Computer Institute, Roadside Baptiste Church and the Upper-Class Industrial Training Centre.

In East Canje, another 235 certificates were distributed to the persons who would have completed skills training in eight occupational areas, held at more than 15 business entities within the district.

The graduates included several members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Some of the courses the graduates received certification include cosmetology, commercial food preparation, heavy-duty equipment operation, small engine repairs and general building construction.

The 357 graduates add to another 246 persons from

Regions One and Four, who received their certificates in 2022 after completing several programmes under the Labour Ministry’s BIT programmes.

Further graduation ceremonies are now set for Moruca, Region One and Anna Regina, Region Two and Lethem, Region Nine.

The graduation ceremonies were attended by Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton; BIT Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Richard Maughn; Chairman of BIT and Region Six Regional Chairman, David Armogan; Senior Technical Officer with responsibility for Region Six, Bevon Shepherd; Senior Superintendent, as well as several Region Six officials including Mayor of Corriverton, Winston Roberts; Senior Superintendent/Deputy Commander, Guy Nurse and Superintendent/Deputy Commander, Vishnu Hunte, among others.

Minister Hamilton in delivering the featured address thanked the agencies that supported the ministry, the trainers who dedicated themselves over the months and the graduates who participated in the programmes.

The minister noted that he makes a special effort to attend the various graduation ceremonies as he emphasised that the training programmes

play a pivotal role in Guyana’s human resource development.

“For me, it is significant. It matters not whether it is 170 persons, 70, 17, or seven. For me, you, the graduates matter and are important in the whole scheme of things that will happen in this country,” the minister noted.

FILLING GAPS He charged the graduates to capitalise on the opportunities that they have been given and explained that the countrywide training being conducted by the BIT is geared at meeting the skills need of the country which is projected to grow significantly in the years ahead.

“The motto of life is to be prepared. Not when the opportunity presents itself, then to provide training. The government that I represent travelled through the length and breadth of this country and we made specific commitments to the citizens of this country, we did not promise, we made commitments,” he said.

During the graduation ceremonies, words of motivation and encouragement were also made by the BIT officials and members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

They reminded the graduates

Some of the graduates at one of the BIT graduation ceremonies

of the sacrifices made to deliver the programmes offered by the government.

During his remarks, Maughn commended the works done by the staff of the BIT, under the leadership of the Region Six Chairman.

“We are able to work and implement the government’s policy when it comes to vocational education and training, making sure that people have equal access to skills development. I have seen the power of skills training, changing lives after working within the education system for many years,” Maughn said.

The CEO further stressed that vocational and technical skills can be used to change the lives of individuals, particularly those who were down the wrong road, who can be turned around to make positive contributions to society.

Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton (right) handing over a certificate to one of the graduates “As we speak about building Guyana as one people, we need to use the skillsets that we have to make a difference. The Board of Industrial Training has used the monies given from the government to

make sure that there were skills transferred but it is up to you to use the skillsets you acquired to make a positive contribution to Guyana, yourselves, and your immediate families,” the CEO stated.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Minister Croal joins East Bank mandirs in Phagwah observance

HOUSING and Water Minister, Collin Croal, joined Hindus across several villages on the East Bank of Demerara in celebration of Holi on Thursday evening.

The minister first visited the Maha Sarazwattie Mandir at Herstelling before joining worshipers at the Providence Hindu Temple.

He also visited the Eccles

Vishnu Mandir where he delivered remarks. Minister Croal also witnessed the burning of Holika in observance of the triumph of good over evil and the arrival of

Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal works a musical instrument during his visit to one of the many mandirs on the East Bank of Demerara on Thursday evening

Housing Minister Collin Croal addresses one of the celebration of Holi spring. to foster unity among GuyAccording to the Hous- anese. ing and Water Minister, the As such, he urged the festival is important not only practice of goodwill and because it symbolises the brotherhood and called on beginning of spring but also citizens to put aside all forms because of its unique ability of religious, ethnic and politi-

many gatherings on the cal discrimination.

“As a people, we must recognise that there is strength in unity and we must learn to appreciate and celebrate each other’s culture,” he noted.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Guyana Cancer Foundation gains membership with American Cancer Society

THE Guyana Cancer Foundation (GCF), led by advocate Bibi Saeedah Akhtar Hassan, has gained membership with the American Cancer Society and is soon to sign a contract in Miami and participate in a training programme.

This development comes at a time when Hassan is celebrating 17 years of being an advocate for cancer patients in Guyana.

“Last October, the Strategic Director for American Cancer Society reached out asking us to be a partner in the Caribbean for American Cancer Society. We had several conversations… and two weeks ago, I received word that they have accepted our membership,” she told the Guyana Chronicle a few days ago.

Hassan said she feels very humbled at achieving 17 years in the field and that she will continue to go the extra mile.

Meanwhile, another milestone for the foundation, according to her, is the meeting it had with representatives of Mount Sinai Hospital out of New York.

“They wanted to know what Guyana needs for cancer care and two of the things I advocated for were a low cost radiation therapy and a bone scanning machine.”

She mentioned the latter

Mrs Hassan with a medical team on an outreach at the Westminster Secondary School because she noted that bone scans for patients are not available in Guyana, forcing persons to have to get it done in Trinidad and elsewhere.

Hassan said it is her intention to work along with government to continue to bring relief to women who are in the low-income bracket and who are under-insured and medically underserved.

Her career all started

back in 2005 when she was selected to be treasurer to the Avon Community Help Fund and did lots of work raising funds to assist the public with breast cancer screening and such like. Being involved helped Hassan develop a passion for such work and after the ‘Avon Fund’ was dissolved, she took up an opportunity to continue such

efforts.

The GCF was eventually registered under the Friendly Society of Guyana as a non-governmental organisation (NGO). With the help of corporate sponsors who came on board, Hassan was able to start her work.

“We’re the prevention people. We believe that early detection helps save lives so we focus on getting women screened for early detection. So our organisation is not in a position to pay for people’s surgeries, but what we can do is help them get screening,” Hassan had explained in a previous interview.

The GCF does referrals to the Oncology Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Apart from those who choose to visit the foundation, the GCF also does outreaches to various communities to be able to find those persons who are in need.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Guyanese celebrate the ‘Festival of Colours’ their way

INFECTIOUS laughter followed by the throwing of abir and spraying of water guns was the most popular scene in Georgetown and neighbouring communities, as Guyanese, from all walks of life, came out to celebrate Phagwah, after a two-year hiatus due to strict COVID-19 guidelines.

Guyana Chronicle visited several communities on Friday to observe this year’s celebration first-hand.

With the restrictive guidelines recently lifted, residents were seen celebrat-

ing the joyous day together.

The Guyana Chronicle spoke with members of the Anthony family at their Cummings Lodge residence.

They described the ability to celebrate Phagwah as a “free” feeling.

“We feel free and happy.

We are so happy that everyone came together to celebrate the holiday,” they said.

The family prepared the usual sweet meats and traditional foods for the celebration and they also smeared coloured powders on each other’s face while the children enjoyed some water

time in a pool.

In Albouystown, children were on the streets playing together. They were throwing water on each other and some had spray guns. Children also threw water by bucket on passing vehicles.

One resident, Samantha Pilgrim, described it as them having “the time of their lives” now that the COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines were removed.

In the neighbouring community of Alexander Village, residents were also having fun.

At the Alexander Village

Vishnu Mandir, the devotees played with water and abir.

They all expressed feelings of joyfulness at being able to be there playing with family and friends.

In the streets of Lodge Housing Scheme, the Guyana Chronicle caught up with members of the Permaul family, who were on their way home to have some delicious seven curry.

They revealed that they were happy to be out on the road playing and spreading positivity and love.

While some celebrated with their family at home,

other residents were on the road spraying water on passing vehicles and persons.

In Rasville, the residents were soaked and covered in coloured powder. The children filled buckets and threw the water on each other, while some used filled water balloons.

Only laughter and screams of joy were heard by this publication during the visit.

The holiday, which takes place on the full moon day of the Hindu month Phalgun, fell on March 18. It is the last day of the Hindu calendar

year. The holiday is celebrated to signify triumph of good over evil.

Holi celebrates the arrival of spring, the end of winter, the blossoming of love and it is a day to forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships.

According to tradition, on the eve of Holi, there is a Holika bonfire, and this represents Holika being consumed by the fire in which she tried to kill her nephew Prahlad , a devotee of God Vishnu and hence, Holi, the name of the holiday.

The Clement family of Campbellville celebrating at their home (Delano Williams photo)

The children of Rasville throwing buckets of water on each other (Delano Williams photo)

Persons at the Alexander Village Vishnu Mandir (Delano Williams photo)

Staff of D. Singh Trading playing Phagwah (Delano Williams photo)

The children of Albouystown soaking a passing car (Delano Williams photo)

The young members of the Permaul family smearing powder on each other (Delano Williams photo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Cyclist killed on Nelson Mandela Avenue

PEDAL cyclist, Lyndon Austin, 57, of Go Slow 4th Avenue, Tucville, Georgetown, was killed on Wednesday, after a car with registration PAC 1350 collided with him, on Nelson Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, police confirmed.

The driver was identified as Asif Mohamed, 32, of Vryheid’s Lust Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara.

According to Police Headquarters, the car was proceeding north at the centre of the western carriageway of Nelson Mandela Avenue while the pedal cyclist was proceeding north on the western side of the western carriageway.

Police said the driver was in the vicinity of Rubis Gas Station when it was alleged that the pedal cyclist proceeded to cross

the western carriageway going from west to east and, in the process of doing so, he ended up into the path of the motorcar which could not avert a collision.

As a result, the front centre portion of the motorcar came into contact with the pedal cyclist.

Due to the impact, the pedal cyclist was thrown onto the bonnet and windscreen of the motorcar and landed on the surface of the road.

He received injuries about the body and was picked up by the driver and placed into the same motorcar in an unconscious condition and transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was seen and examined by a doctor on duty and treated for abrasions and head injuries.

Cocaine found in cards destined for UK

RANKS of the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), on Thursday, March 17, 2022, seized 76 grammes of cocaine in two envelopes at the Guyana Post Office Corporation in Georgetown.

According to CANU, the envelopes, which were destined for London, United Kingdom, each had cocaine concealed in a sealed plastic pack.

The investigation is ongoing.

The envelopes with the cocaine

Austin died around 23:30hrs while receiving medical attention. His body is currently lying at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home awaiting post mortem.

Police said a notice of intended prosecution has

been prepared and served on the driver of the motorcar after a breathalyzer test conducted on him revealed that he had alcohol in his system.

He remains in custody assisting police with their investigations.

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The damaged windscreen of the car involved in the accident

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

Bangladesh overcome South African hurdle

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Bangladesh have now won ODIs in every country they have played in.

They ticked South Africa off the list yesterday, registering their first win in 20 years of touring here. They beat the home side by 38 runs, following a team effort that included three fifties that set up a total of 314 for 7, and two bowlers taking three wickets or more.

David Miller was Bangladesh's last stumbling block but when the left-hander fell in the 46th over, it was all but over for the home side. Miller was stopped at 79 off 57 balls, at a time when he was striking a boundary almost every over. Rassie van der Dussen top-scored with 86, which helped South Africa get out of an early jam, but it wasn't enough in a big chase.

Shakib Al Hasan's rapid 77 was the centrepiece of Bangladesh total, their highest in South Africa. He added 115 for the fourth wicket with Yasir Ali, who made his maiden ODI fifty. Bangladesh hit 11 sixes in their innings, equaling their record for an overseas ODI. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who gave Tamim Iqbal a bit of a headache after an expensive first spell, ended up taking four wickets including Miller’s. But Taskin Ahmed was Bangladesh's best bowler, with figures of 3 for 36.

He struck twice in the first nine overs as Bangladesh struck three early blows.

Shoriful Islam had Janneman Malan caught

behind, before Taskin jammed one into Kyle Verreynne's pads, plumb in front, and then had Aiden Markram caught at point for a three-ball duck.

Temba Bavuma and van der Dussen took stock of the dire situation, and slowly rebuilt the chase with an 85-run stand. Bavuma found it difficult to pierce the gaps, but van der Dussen stroked the ball better, hitting three beautiful cover drives apart from two reverse-swept fours, two hits through midwicket and a top-edged six.

Shoriful removed Bavuma in the 27th over but it brought more trouble to the crease for Bangladesh: Miller.

He provided the thrust in a 70-run fifth-wicket stand with van der Dussen, giving South Africa a sniff despite the steep required rate. Bangladesh could have broken the partnership in the 35th over when substitute Najmul Hossain Shanto scored a direct hit from mid-off.

But third umpire Adrian Holdstock viewed just one replay even though TV commentator Pommie Mbagwa kept making the point that van der Dussen's bat was in the air.

It was, as replays showed a few balls later.

Thankfully for Bangladesh, van der Dussen fell three overs later when Yasir took a superb diving catch at the deep square-leg boundary. Andile Phehlukwayo struggled through 12 balls, playing and missing frequently, before holing out to Litton Das at long-off.

$110M to be...

FROM PAGE 22

suburb of Grand Prairie. The former minor league baseball facility was originally due to have renovations completed for its opening as a cricket venue in 2022.

But according to multiple sources, administrators experienced logistical difficulties securing permits to begin construction work on making necessary design changes to the facility to make it suitable for cricket. As a result, MLC still has yet to break ground on any construction work, but officials have stated that construction is now anticipated to begin in April 2022.

When it opened as a baseball facility in 2008, seating capacity was 5 445, but MLC has stated that once renovations are completed it will have 7 000 permanent seats with a total capacity of 15 000, though it may be expanded to 20 000 with temporary seating for largescale events.

The other venues currently in existence which MLC has committed to making upgrades to are Church Street

Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, as well as two venues in the Houston metropolitan area: Moosa Stadium, located about 25 miles south of downtown Houston in the suburb of Pearland; and Prairie View Cricket Complex, which is located 50 miles northwest of Houston in the university town of Prairie View. Church Street

Park is anticipated to have the most significant changes, with broadcast facilities and up to 3 500 permanent seats added to the facility making total capacity expandable up to 5 000.

According to an MLC spokesperson, changes to each of the existing facilities will cost upwards of $3M per venue.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday March 19, 2022)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Nkrumah Bonner-123 (first innings) (2) Zak Crawley-121 (second innings) Today’s Quiz: (1) Which WI bowler had the best innings figures in the recent first Test against ENG? (2) Which ENG bowler had the best innings figures?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

22

Unvaccinated fans allowed for Grenada Test

THE Government of Grenada has given permission for unvaccinated cricket fans to attend the third and final Apex Test match between West Indies and England. The match will be played at the Grenada National Stadium from March 24 to 28.

In a decision taken earlier this week Grenada’s Ministry of Health announced there is no longer a “vaccine differentiation policy” for large public gatherings, and organisers can permit unvaccinated persons to patronise public events.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) welcomed the news and believes it should lead to many more local fans attending the finale of the Apex Test series as the teams compete for the newly-minted Richards-Botham trophy, named in honour of icons of the game, Sir Viv Richards and Lord Ian Botham.

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI said: “We welcome the decision taken by the Government of Grenada to provide all Grenadians with the opportunity to rally behind the West Indies in the third and final Apex Test match.

“With the adjustment to the policy and protocol, we now expect an increased interest among local fans to attend the third Apex Test match, which should be a thrilling finale to the Apex Series.

“We know Grenadian fans always come out to support in great numbers and will get behind West Indies’ challenge to win the Richards-Botham trophy.

They will be eager to come out and see some top-quality Test match cricket at one of the game’s most eye-catching venues.”

Grenada’s Minister of Health, Hon. Nickolas Steele said: “The Government of Grenada has remained nimble throughout the pandemic, constantly

adjusting to the level of risk we faced. Right now, the risk is low and as such, we adjust accordingly.

“This is in fact, a victory for the people of Grenada as it is their behaviour and adherence to protocols that have helped to keep the COVID-19 risk at relatively low levels. Therefore, just as we celebrate this victory, we hope to celebrate a West Indies win in Grenada.”

Tickets are on sale from EC$55/US$20 for the unreserved seating in the Posse Stand up to EC$220/US$80 for reserved premium seats in the Players Pavilion. Local fans will benefit from a 50% discount when they first register with their local address via the new WINDIES TICKETS service at https://www.windiescricket. com/tickets/.

In addition to being able to choose and pay for your seats in advance, the service allows fans to save their purchased tickets to their device for ticket-scanning at the venue, avoiding the need for queues and travel to the box office.

Fans can also benefit from the 50% discount when buying in person at the stadium box office, open from 10:00hrs to 18:00hrs and from 08:30hrs on match days.

Fans in the West Indies can watch the match live on ESPN Caribbean and on BT Sport in the UK, as well as other international broadcasters around the world.

MATCH SCHEDULE Apex Test Series (10:00hrs local time/09:00hrs Jamaica Time) March 8-12: 1st Apex Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua - match drawn March 16-20: 2nd Apex Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados March 24-28: 3rd Apex Test at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

GMR&SC Quarter Mile Return …

Tickets go on sale from March 24 TICKETS for the highly talked about Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) Quarter Mile Return will go on sale next week at venues across the country.

The event, which is set for March 27 at the South Dakota Circuit strip, will be the club’s first drag race meet of the year.

According to the president, Rameez Mohamed, fans have been in constant contact with the club in an attempt to get tickets for the event.

“Every day, we get tons of messages on our Facebook page, calls to the office and even people calling our members to ask when the tickets will go on sale and where they will be on sale.”

“As a committee, we have outlined several places where fans can get tickets in most parts of the country. We want all our fans to come out for this event.”

Tickets will go on sale

Drag-racing action is just over a week away

from March 24 at the club’s Albert Street, & Thomas Lands venue; Mohamed's Enterprise, 29 Lombard Street, Georgetown; Motor Trend Service Centre; Area L Foulis Public Road E.C.D; West Coast Customs Wash Bay, Vreed-en-Hoop, W.C.D; Massive Audio, Parika, E.B.E; Homeline Furnishing, 592 New Amsterdam, Berbice; Sukhpaul's Business Enterprise & Auto Sales, Lot 7-8 Strand New Amsterdam, Berbice and Sukhpaul's Service Station, Corriverton, Berbice.

Adult tickets will cost $2 000 while children will cost $500.

Meanwhile competition is expected from Suriname with a total of 10 cars so far confirming participation.

“We welcome our bothers from Suriname. They were interested since we began planning and with the COVID-19 restrictions lifted, we are expecting a lot of competition from there.

“I think so far, our Suriname counterparts have indicated that there are just over

10 cars that have indicated an interest in coming to the event in addition to spectators … so I predict it’s going to be a good meet.”

There will be a lot of surprises come Sunday for this event with a lot of guys bringing out some new machines. Of course the Team Mohamed’s cars will be there as well as the Kong Supra so that’s something else the fans have to look forward to,” The GMR&SC president commented.

$110M to be spent for USA T20 league

(ESPNCRICINFO) - The organisers of Major League Cricket, USA's officially sanctioned T20 franchise league anticipated to launch in 2023, announced on Thursday the next phase of their venue development plan, in which they intend to spend approximately $110M on building or renovating a total of eight venues around the USA. Aside from five venues already in existence earmarked for upgrades, MLC is in negotiations to secure land and build new venues at Marymoor Park in the eastern Seattle suburb of Redmond, Washington; as well as two California venues - one proposed for the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, and the other in Orange County south of Los Angeles.

"This array of venue developments in areas with significant cricket-passionate communities comes as the International Cricket Council (ICC) has identified the United States as its primary

Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida is the only ICC ODI-accredited venue in the USA (Peter Della Penna)

target market to expand the game with the award of co-hosting rights to the 2024 T20 Men's World Cup," Sameer Mehta, co-founder of Major League Cricket, said. "MLC is committed to supporting that vision alongside its longterm partner USA Cricket and we're excited to work together to transform the landscape and opportunities for cricket

to rapidly develop across the country with this infrastructure investment."

The announcement comes following the first venue acquisition made by MLC and its parent American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) in November 2020 of AirHogs Stadium in the Dallas, Texas TURN TO PAGE 21

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

2nd Apex Test, West Indies vs England, Day three

Brathwaite, Blackwood tons stand tall for Windies

(ESPNCRICINFO) - The cool stroll down the pitch, the relaxed smile, the lackadaisical lift of the bat - Kraigg Brathwaite's century celebration said it all.

After a disciplined display which frustrated England's bowlers no end and ultimately lasted the entire third day, Brathwaite posted a stubborn 10th Test ton, but he knew that plenty of work lay ahead in West Indies' pursuit of England's hefty first-innings total.

Jermaine Blackwood, on the other hand, started celebrating his century a third of the way down the pitch while still watching the ball trickling beyond the slips cordon for a single, running with his arms outstretched before turning his face skyward and pumping his fist as a relieved grin appeared briefly then gave way to a determined stare, the task ahead not forgotten.

And so it was at stumps, with West Indies still trailing by 219 runs but, thanks to their twin centurions, they had taken the fight to England.

The pair put on 183 runs together to grind down an England attack deflated by the denial of Saqib Mahmood's maiden Test wicket - Blackwood on 65 at the time - because of a front-foot no-ball,

and with tensions boiling over in a verbal altercation between Ben Stokes and Blackwood.

When Blackwood finally fell for 102 late in the day, shouldering arms to a Dan Lawrence ball which struck high on the front pad in line with the top of middle stump, England had their first wicket since the morning session but with Brathwaite still looking calm and collected on 109 not out and nightwatchman Alzarri Joseph on four.

In sharp contrast to the drawn first Test in Antigua, where he raced to his fastest Test fifty - off 62 balls - but failed to press on, Brathwaite had inched to his slowest half-century off 167 balls in Barbados, sweeping Jack Leach for four, and faced another 111 deliveries before raising his ton, rocking back to thread Leach behind point for two.

In both instances, Brathwaite's innings had been what his side needed. During the previous match, he and John Campbell set West Indies off to a bright start in pursuit of England's first-innings score before Nkrumah Bonner's century helped them to a modest lead. This time, Brathwaite took it upon himself to hang around ... and hang around ...

in a bit to steer his side into a competitive position.

Having resumed on 71 for 1 with Brathwaite on 28 and having lost two wickets before lunch, he and Blackwood mounted their resistance.

Leach had found considerable turn in his first over of the day, beating the outside edge of both Brathwaite and Shamarh Brooks, but Brooks was culpable in his own dismissal inside the first half hour.

Leach broke through with a shorter, wider delivery that saw Brooks' attempted cut sail to backward point where Chris Woakes took a good catch low to his right.

Brooks and Brathwaite had put on 69 runs for the second wicket but added just 12 runs in 7.4 overs on the third morning as Leach and Fisher kept them well contained.

Stokes entered the attack midway the morning session and struck in his second over, removing Bonner lbw for just 9 to ensure there would be no reprise of his first-innings century in Antigua. Bonner reviewed umpire Nigel Duguid's decision, UltraEdge failing to shed definitive light on whether he had hit it first and ball-tracking showing that it was clipping the top of middle stump as Bonner trudged off.

If Bonner was hard done by, it was a case of swings and roundabouts a short time later when Stokes pinned Blackwood on the back leg, with England choosing not to call for the DRS, only for replays to show it was hitting leg-stump halfway up.

Mahmood thought he had his first Test wicket when he struck Blackwood on the boot with a fine reverse-swinging delivery and England reviewed the not-out decision, but replays showed Blackwood had got outside the line of offstump.

But there was to be greater heartache for Mahmood in an eventful 93rd over when he first beat Blackwood's attempted drive, narrowly missing the outside edge then nailed a yorker which clattered into the bottom of middle stump only to have his elation curtailed when the third umpire found he had over-stepped.

It would have been little consolation for Mahmood to learn he wasn't the first England bowler to miss out on his first Test wicket that way.

The next ball, Blackwood left, almost to his peril with the ball missing the top of off-stump by a whisker.

Earlier, Matt Fisher and Stokes managed to elicit some

Jermaine Blackwood gets off his feet to defend, vs England, 2nd Test, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 3rd day, yesterday (AFP/Getty Images)

reverse swing they could not penetrate West Indies' defences, as Brathwaite and Blackwood saw themselves through to the arrival of the second new ball - and beyond.

Brathwaite punched Fisher through extra cover to bring up the fifty-partnership and guided Stokes

through gully, to the bowler's chagrin. Blackwood picked off boundaries smartly too, cutting Leach crisply in front of square to bring up his fifty, his sixth of 11 fours for the innings, but for the most part it was a gritty, patient performance by both batters.

SCOREBOARD

ENGLAND 1st innings 507-9 decl.

WEST INDIES 1st innings (o/n 71 for one) K. Brathwaite not out J. Campbell c wkp. Foakes b Fisher S. Brooks c Woakes b Leach N. Bonner lbw b Stokes J. Blackwood lbw b Leach A. Joseph not out

109 4 39 9 102 4

Extras: (b-6, nb-2) 8 Total: (4 wkts, 117 overs) 288 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-83, 3-101, 4-284.

Bowling: Woakes 16-7-46-0, Fisher 17-5-44-1, Leach 44-14-97-1, Stokes 17-8-34-2 (nb-2), Saqib Mahmood 15-3-35-0 (nb-5), Lawrence 5-2-8-1, Root 3-0-10-0..

Position: West Indies trail by 219 runs with six first innings wickets intact.

West Indies women pull off nervy win against Bangladesh (CMC) – West Indies Women’s flair for the dramatic continued here yesterday when they edged Bangladesh Women by four runs in a last-over thriller to win their third game of the ICC Women’s World Cup. Defending a meagre 140 for nine after Shemaine Campbelle’s unbeaten 53 rescued them from a complete implosion at Bay Oval, West Indies restricted the Asian side to 136 all out with three balls to spare, to halt a slide of two successive defeats.

Off-spinner Hayley Matthews, adjudged Player-of-the-Match, emerged as the hero with four for 15 from 10 excellent overs while leg-spinner Afy Fletcher snatched three for 29 in her first appearance of the showpiece and second OneDay International in 19 months since giving birth to her first child.

It was off-spinning captain

Stafanie Taylor, with two for 29, who stepped up to bowl the final over with Bangladesh requiring eight runs for victory.

Number nine Nahida Akter, who was left unbeaten on a courageous 25, pinched two to backward square off the first ball and punched a single into the deep off the second delivery.

But Fariha Trisna lost the plot, inside-edging a drive off the third delivery onto her stumps, to give West Indies yet another nerve-jangling win in the tournament following similar finishes against hosts New Zealand and reigning World champions England.

“I think just looking at it (total) everyone was pretty much ‘no, we didn’t get enough runs on the board,’” Matthews said afterwards. “(We) definitely need to be doing better in that aspect but at the same time, I think taking the

wickets, knowing that it (pitch) was quite slow and was holding a bit of turn in it (was important).

“We knew that we could have gone out there and defended the runs once we bowled the right areas.

“Keeping the stumps in play was very, very important and I think we managed to do that quite well.

“But at the same time, we’re definitely going to need to do better with the bat if we’re going to have any chance at this World Cup.” Asked to bat, Matthews put on 29 for the first wicket with Deandra Dottin who made 17 before nicking a backfoot drive at seamer Jahanara Alam and falling to a catch behind in the ninth over.

Her dismissal set in train a collapse which saw West Indies Women lose seven wickets for 41

runs to decline dramatically to 70 for seven in the 36th over.

The key wickets of Matthews – pulling a sharp chance to short mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Nahida Akter (2-23) in the 13th over and Taylor for four – bowled around her legs in the 15th by Nahida – left the innings in tatters.

Campbelle stepped up with her second half-century of the tournament, however, repairing the innings with a knock that lasted 107 deliveries and included five fours.

Crucially she put on 32 for the eighth with Fletcher (19) and a further 39 for the ninth with Karishma Ramharack (7 not out), to carve out precious runs towards the end.

Handed the new ball, Matthews knocked over Shamima Sultana without scoring to the fifth ball of the run chase with a single run on the board, but Bangladesh

recovered mainly through Nigar Sultana (25) and Fargana Hoque (23) to reach 60 for two in the 22nd over.

But things then fell apart quickly as Bangladesh lost three wickets off 15 balls without a run added, as Fletcher ripped the heart out of the innings.

Fargana missed an ambitious slog and lost her off-stump in the 22nd and in Fletcher’s next over, Rumana Ahmed edged a defensive prod behind and Ritu Moni missed a googly to be lbw – both departing without scoring.

With Bangladesh tottering on 60 for five, it was the way back West Indies needed and they quickly pressed home the advantage, Matthews claiming both captain Nigar Sultana (25) and Fahima Khatun (0) in the 33rd over, to leave the tail with a burden too heavy to bear.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, March 19, 2022

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23

Kraigg Brathwaite anchored West Indies' reply, vs England, 2nd Test, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 3rd day, yesterday (Getty Images)

2nd Apex Test, West Indies vs England, Day three

Brathwaite, Blackwood tons stand tall for Windies PAGE

22

West Indies women pull off nervy win against Bangladesh

PAGE

23 Drag-racing action is just over a week away

GMR&SC Quarter Mile Return …

Tickets go on sale from March 24

Afy Fletcher takes off on a celebratory run March 17, 2022 © Getty Images

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

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022