The Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Stanford Twenty/20 cricket team stands a very good chance of wresting the National Sport Commis-sion’s (NSC) 2006 Sport Team-of-the-Year award from the 2005 winners, the Guyana Rugby Football Union’s (GRFU) Under-18 team, following its resounding success at the Inaugural Stanford Twenty/20 competition.
Guyana registered a five-wicket win over Trinidad and Tobago in the final of the US million-dollar tournament to lift the inaugural trophy.
Other serious contenders for the Sport Team of the Year award include the Guyana Squash Association’s (GSA) junior team that won the overall team title at the Jamaica-hosted event, the GRFU’s senior Seven’s team that won the North America West Indies Rugby Association’s title for the first time and the Guyana Football Federation team that played unbeaten throughout the year to secure a place in the finals of the Digicel Cup Competition which gets underway tomorrow in Trinidad.
However, the national Stanford Twenty/20 team that played under the captaincy of West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan seems to have the best possible chance.
Needing six runs to win from two deliveries in the final against Trinidad and Tobago to cart off the US$1m first prize, Guyana’s middle order batsman Narsingh Deonarine, who subsequently won the Play-of-the-Match award, lofted the penultimate delivery of the match for a huge six to give Guyana victory.
Trinidad had made 175-6 from their allotted 20 overs and Guyana replied with 176-5. Guyana’s Travis Dowlin was named Man-of-the-Match for his contribution of 80 from 60 deliveries.
Prior to reaching the final, the locals had defeated Montserrat by eight wickets with a typical spin-based attack.
Montserrat had made 115-8 and Guyana replied with 116-2 off 16.3 overs.
Dowlin was named Man-of-the-Match with 54 runs from 42 deliveries. Then in the most thrilling game of the tournament, Guyana edged favourites Jamaica by three wickets before a capacity crowd. Jamaica made 163-6 and Guyana replied with 168-7.
Esaun Crandon made 71 from 39 balls and was named Man-of-the-Match.
The Guyanese then booked their ticket to the final with a brilliant six-wicket win over Grenada.
Grenada made 158-8 and Guyana reached 160-4 from 18.2 overs.
Mahendra Nagamootoo ended with 5-15 from four overs to claim the Man-of-the-Match award.
The Guyana National Football Team on the other hand moved up the FIFA Coca Cola World rankings through some outstanding performances by the team, which played unbeaten throughout the year, something that had not happened for some years.
Currently ranked 100th with 303 points as of December 31, the locals were held to a draw against Barbados in an international friendly in February of 2006. That same month the local ball weavers beat Antigua twice in two international friendlies, then five months later they defeated St. Lucia twice in another international friendly series.
In the Digicel Caribbean Cup tournament, the Guy-anese played unbeaten to secure a place in the finals.
The GRFU Seven’s team for the first time won the North America West Indies Rugby Association (NAWIRA) seven’s tournament which was played in Trinidad.
The local ruggers are currently ranked 74th on the International Rugby Union’s ranking.
With regard to the Guyana Squash Association’s junior team, they won the overall team title at the 2006 Caribbean Area Squash Association’s Junior Carib-bean tournament which was hosted by Jamaica.
The girls’ team won the girls team title while the boys placed third. However, the locals won the overall team title.
The local racquet wielders also won three individual titles at the same tournament.
