20
GUYANATIMESgy.COM
saturday, november 2, 2019
2019 Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50 Tournament…
Coach Crandon and co not taking any team lightly ꟷ Jaguars looking for 1st Super50 title since 2005 G
uyana Jaguars are hoping the upcoming Regional Super50 tournament will be the time they break their jinx in the domestic 50-overs tournament. In the 2018 season, Jaguars stumbled at the final hurdle, surrendering to eventual champions Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) Marooners by six wickets in the final in Bridgetown, Barbados to miss out on their eighth title but first in 14 years. Head coach Esuan Crandon, who has overseen Jaguars’ domination of the First-class championship, believes the struggles in the Super50 is a mental block. “We have not managed to win it for a long time. We would have played really well up to the final match and to cross that last hurdle has been a struggle for us over the years,” Crandon said. “We have highlighted a few things. For me, I think it is just being able
Flashback! Team Guyana Jaguars in 2018
to manage that final game and the expectations around us and winning and going
through the same processes which we had
done during the group matches and the
ECCC/Tropical Springs U-19 and Rubis Bel Air U-15 competitions launched ꟷ 3 centurions in 1st round
Andre Samaroo slammed 158
semi-finals. “It’s more a mental hurdle for us, I think, and it’s just for us to be ready and mentally prepared, switched on and able to control our emotions, so we are focussing on some of these things during our preparations and we expect to do much better when we get to the final stages of the tournament.” Jaguars, who will be again led by out-offavour West Indies batsman Leon Johnson, have been hard at work in recent weeks putting the final touches on their preparation. They have also had the benefit of their local whiteball league which has ensured valuable competitive practice, and allowed several players to find their touch. “Preparations have been going well so far. We were affected a bit by the weather a few months ago, but we were able to step things up about six or seven weeks ago and start doing some whiteball preparations which has gone well for us and the weather has been good,” Crandon noted. “We have been able to get in some quality work. We have focussed on game scenarios and getting the players to understand their roles, rotation of the strike and getting the players to take more responsibility from a batting perspective. “We have had our franchise league recently. It’s been very competitive, and we have seen some outstanding performances throughout the tournament, and we have used it to help select our team. We also have a couple of practice games to finalise our preparations before we
Guyana Jaguars Head Coach Esuan Crandon
travel to Trinidad.” Jaguars will back themselves to emerge as one of the two semi-finalists from Group B where they will clash with hosts Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, Windward Islands Volcanoes, West Indies Emerging Players and United States. And Crandon said they planned on bringing the same intensity to each game to guard against complacency. “Obviously, there good teams in our group. We will not take any side for granted. We will take each opponent seriously and one game at a time,” he stressed. “The good thing is that every team gets to play the other twice, so after the first encounter, the players have time to prepare for the return match and try to do better. With the two top teams from the group advancing to the semi-finals, every other team will come to play hard and win matches. “Fans will view the Jaguars as one of the top teams in the group, along the Red Force and the Volcanoes, but we cannot rule out the Emerging Players squad and the United States, so we have to play every opponent hard and strong.”
Guyana Fitness Games fit in with packed schedule Under-15 players at the launch
T
he fourth edition of the Rubis Bel Air U15 and Tropical Springs-sponsored Under19 cricket competitions were launched recently at the Enmore Community Centre. For the past four years, these competitions have been the only youth competitions held among teams on the East Coast of Demerara. Several national youth players have since emerged therefrom, having commenced their cricketing careers during these competitions. The Rubis Bel Air U-15 and Tropical Springs U-19 competitions commenced last weekend with the following games: Enterprise SC lost to President’s College by virtue of fielding over-age players. Scores in the match: Enterprise SC: 177 all out (26.4 overs), President’s College: 64 all out (21 overs). In the Rubis Bel Air U15 tournament, ECCCC defeated Ogle CC by 59 runs at Enmore. ECCCC: 127 for 6 (30 overs), Hemraj Hariprashad 28 and B. Rabindranuth 25. Rene Goberdhan took 3 for 22. Ogle CC were bowled out for 68 in 17 overs, with N. Mohan taking 4 wickets for 15 runs. Lusignan SC U15 defeated Enterprise SC U15 by virtue of Enterprise SC fielding over-age players. Scores in that match: Enterprise SC: 131 for 5 (30 overs),
with R. Deonarine scoring 39. Lusignan SC: 56 all out in 19 overs.
Sookraj took 3 wkts for 8 runs
Three centuries were recorded in the Tropical Springs U19 competition first round games. At Strathavon ground, Ogle CC defeated Strathavon SC by 247 runs. Ogle CC rattled up a mammoth 361 for 7 (40 overs). Andrew Samaroo scored 158, and Rudranauth Kisoon 101.
Yogesh Umrao took 3 for 63
Strathavon SC were bowled out for 114 in 22 overs. Ravin Ramsarup scored 47, while Davenedra Kissoon took 4 for 27. ECCCC defeated President’s College by 156 runs at Enmore. ECCCC scored 279 for 6 from 30 overs, with national U17 player Chaitram Balgobin scoring 114 and Denzil Wilson 63 not out. D. Prashad took 2 for 40. President’s College were bowled out for 123 in 24 overs, with Daniel Prashad scoring 26. Chaitram Balgobin returned to take 4 wickets for 2 runs, while P. Ishwardin bagged 3 for 21.
E
very year for the past 4 years, Trophy Stall has generously sponsored the Guyana Fitness Games, Fitness Expo; and this year is no different. The Trophy Stall has come on board as a sponsor for the 5th annual Kares Fitness Expo, set to take place this weekend at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH). The Kares Fitness Expo promises 2 days of action-packed fitness fun. It starts on Saturday at 5:30pm (17:30 hrs) with a 30-minute Cancer Awareness Glow Walk that starts at Genesis Fitness Gym on Durban Street and ends at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The action continues that night with the Soca Zumba Glow Party, led by none oth-
er than the ‘Zumba Queen’ herself, Noshavyah King. Sunday is known as competition day. The day starts at 2:00pm with the exciting Scaled Fitness Challenge and the Teams Fitness Challenge. Athletes placing first to fifth would each receive large cash prizes, compliments of Kares CrossFit. The crowd favourite, Strongman Competition, starts at 5:30pm, and athletes from Guyana and Suriname go up against each other for a chance to obtain the Strongman title. The Strongman Competition athletes would also be walking away with large cash prizes. Every athlete would walk away a winner, thanks to Trophy Stall and Kares Crossfit.