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guyanatimesGY.com
saturday, march 8, 2014
Gayle calls for “drastic Chattergoon looking to stamp authority at Florida Cup improvement” W W est Indies opener Chris Gayle has pronounced himself “99 per cent fit” at the start of the three-match Twenty20 series against England in Barbados and admits that West Indies need to up their game drastically in time for their World T20 title defence in Bangladesh. “We’ve had some poor results in the last few games on the limited overs front but both teams are going through some challenging times,” Gayle said. “Personally, I’m feeling really great, having rested my glutes. “I haven’t really been doing much in the way of playing, or even watching, cricket to be honest. But as long as my body’s feeling fine, I can’t wait to get out there. I owe the people some big runs and I think with home support for us, this is the time and place to deliver,” he said. Gayle stressed that following England’s 2-1 ODI series win in Antigua, West Indies needed to address
their sub-par batting and added that this series was ideally positioned for them to garner some momentum going into Bangladesh. “It’s been rough recently. I think we need to be more steady in the crease but we do have the batting capable of getting big runs and more importantly, the wins. We also have disciplined players like Sunil Narine and Ravi Rampaul to deliver on the bowling end of things.” Alongside Gayle’s hitting prowess, the return of Marlon Samuels to the fold will help to offset the loss of Kieron Pollard, which Gayle labelled as “a huge blow to the team”. He was nonetheless pleased to see the core of the title-winning unit from 2012 in Sri Lanka back in the mix. “We have Marlon back but we all know how dangerous ‘Polly’ can be and it’s devastating when you lose a player like that. But, even with as many talented individuals as we have, we have to go out there and play as a team to win. “We also have one or two
new faces to add a fresh dimension to our side.” Gayle did not escape the obligatory question about Kevin Pietersen’s enforced retirement from the England side. He suggested that England were substantially weaker without Pietersen and regarded England’s treatment of him as “disrespectful”. “KP is one of the best. Any team would love to have him in their ranks. I think it was disrespectful how he was treated and the way he went out but you never know what happens behind closed doors. I’m glad I won’t be facing him on the field. He’s a tremendous asset and someday I hope he gets back into the England mix if the door ever re-opens.” He remained adamant that the losses of Pietersen and Root would be detrimental to England’s T20 aspirations but his own resolution of his long-standing personal spats with the WICB encouraged his belief that there was a chance Pietersen could make his return someday. (Cricinfo)
Busta Champion of Champions semi-finals billed for today
Gudakesh Motie
T
he semi-finals of the 10th edition of the Busta Champion of Champions tournament will take place today at the Area “H” ground in Rose Hall Town and the Port Mourant Cricket ground. Port Mourant and last year’s losing finalist Albion will clash at the Port Mourant ground, while defending champions RHT Gizmos and Gadgets will meet Young Warriors at home. Port Mourant will be spearheaded by Andrew Lyght Jr, Joshua Ramsammy, Yudendra Harrinarine, Devindra Thakurdeen, Manoj Looknauth and Robert Moore, while the Albion team, while missing five senior players due to na-
Royston Crandon
Andrew Lyght Jr
tional duties, will have Jonathan Foo, Kandasammy Surujnarine, Gudakesh Motie, Sharaz Ramcharran,
Shimron Hetmyer
David Latchaya and Balchan Baldeo. Defending champions RHT Gizmos and Gadgets will have players of the caliber of Delbert Hicks, Rajiv Ivan, Dominic Rikhi, Jason Sinclair, Shawn Pereira, Shailendra Shameer, Troy Mathieson, Khemraj Mahadeo and West Indies ODI player Royston Crandon. Young Warriors will depend heavily on West Indies Under-19 opener Shimron Hetmyer, Kevin Ramdeen, Ishwar Singh, Balram Samaroo, Shanguille Williams, Linden Austin and Suresh Dhanai. Both matches will start at 09:30h. The winner of the 10th edition will receive $100,000 and the Busta trophy.
By Ravendra Madholall in Toronto
hen he first started to play softball cricket, Ramnarine Chattergoon was very erratic with the ball and he immediately began focusing thoroughly on batting. Since then, his average speaks volume. Having cracked a double-century two years ago in a South Florida tournament, Chattergoon has rapidly developed into an excellent softball batsman. He wants to do well in his second appearance at the 2014 Florida Cup 25-over competition, which bowls off on Friday at the Brian Piccolo Park, Ford Lauderdale. His optimism is strong as he is set to showcase his talent in the three-day tournament that has teams from North America and Guyana vying for championships. He stated that a large number of top softball players from Guyana are expected to grace the occasion and that should subsequently make it exciting again. “I [am] indeed looking forward to the tournament; obviously one of the biggest softball competitions and I am also confident I will do well for my team this year. Last year was a great outing even though my team didn’t make it to the top,” Chattergoon related via telephone from his home in Miami.
Big impression Broward All Star is certainly ready to make a big impression, emphatically mentioned by Chattergoon, a former Guyana Under-19 player. He assertively stated that the side is loaded with talented softball cricketers, while their warm-up match victory over Hurricanes last weekend further enhanced their confidence. “We have to be prepared for the competitions; you have got great softball players on show so we looking to make a big impact this season; the competitions are always challenging and that is why we want to play positive cricket,” Chattergoon, the former Combined, Colleges and Campuses (CCC) player, reckoned. The 31-year-old Chattergoon, who is one of the four brothers to have represented Guyana at different levels, also played for the University of Guyana during the intercollege tournament in 2005 in Barbados before he went on to feature in the CCC’s team
Ramnarine Chattergoon
at the senior West Indies Cricket Board regional one-day tournament for two successive years. His other siblings are discarded West Indies opener Sewnarine Chattergoon, former West Indies Under-19 opener and Canada batsman Hemnarine Chattergoon and the youngest Harrinarine Chattergoon, who also played at the youth level for Guyana. Ramnarine turned out for Vikings Cricket Club at the Toronto and District Cricket Association elite competitions for three consecutive years before he moved across to United States of America permanently. He said the softball competitions there are of high standard and players have continually shown eagerness to participate. He emphasised the importance of regular cricket season in which the game will ultimately benefit. “Looking back at the structure of softball tournament in Florida is certainly admirable and as I said the competitive nature is absolutely vital for the continuation of proper cricket and definitely I am enjoying the game,” Ramnarine, who has been very consistent over the past two years in the softball arena, declared. In this version of the game, East Coast Cricket Club of New York is the defending champion.
Change in venue for Gittens’ birthday domino
P
opular domino promoter Lyall Gittens, on Friday announced that the venue for his annual three-day birthday domino competition, set for March 15-17, has been changed. Games were initially slated for Freeman Street, Tucville, with action starting at 15:00h, but due to unforeseen circumstances, Gittens said the venue will now be the Girl Guide pavillion on Brickdam. Registration per team remains $9,500 and interested teams can register by calling Gittens on 6972929. The champion team will receive $150,000,
Lyall Gittens
while the runner-up, third and fourth placed finishers will collect $80,000, $40,000 and $10,000 re-
spectively. Trophies will accompany the cash prizes, while the Most Valuable Player is guaranteed $5,500 cash. There will also be a take away lunch from 12:30h to 18:00 hours on the opening day of the competition. The activity has received corporate support from Strikers Sports Club, Kaieteur Spring, Boom Town DVD, Gobin and Sons, Becks Lumber Yard, Big Boss Transportation Service, All Season Racing Service, Trophy Stall, Stream Café and HJ Boom Station. Musical entertainment will be provided by Blue Flame Sound System.