Guyana, a country which has won the regional limited overs competition on nine occasions faces the Windward Islands, finalists of the 2006 competition today at the Blairmont Community Development Centre ground in the opening round of the KFC Cup limited overs cricket competition.
And, if past history, present form and the fact that today’s winner just might be guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals are anything to go by, today’s encounter should be `finger lickin’ good’.
A betting man might find it difficult to choose between the two sides.
Taking a walk down memory lane one finds that there have been three encounters between Guyana and the Windward Islands in regional limited overs cricket at the Albion Community Develop-ment Centre ground.
On two of those encounters Guyana triumphed with the Windwards winning once.
Incidentally, it was the Windward Islands which drew first blood when they were adjudged winners of the 1993 Geddes Grant/Harrison Line Shield match by virtue of losing fewer wickets in the first tied game in regional limited overs cricket.
In that match, the Windwards batted first and scored 186-8 while Guyana responded with 186-9 in the game which was reduced to 46-overs-a-side due to rain.
The second occasion on which these two teams clashed was in the 1998 Red Stripe Bowl competition.
Then, Guyana, backed by a capacity crowd, made 237 from their allotted overs.
The Windwards in reply never threatened and they were restricted 196-9 when the overs expired.
By the time the two teams met again at the Albion venue, the Windwards had been split into two halves after they had won the 2000 Red Stripe Bowl tournament under Rawl Lewis.
It was an experiment that severely weakened the two sides, the Southern and Northern Windwrads respectively and the Southern Windwards team of 2001, which took on a Guyana team led by Carl Hooper were no match for the locals.
Though the game was reduced to 30 overs-a-side because of rain, Guyana reached 216-3 mainly through an unbeaten innings of 95 from the silky Hooper.
Southern Windwards replied with a meagre 136-5 in their 30 overs.
So, in essence Albion has not been a happy hunting ground for the Windwards who will try to reduce the win/loss ratio in today’s encounter.
They can be considered well prepared. They arrived early and were involved in a number of practice matches which should stand them in good stead for today’s encounter.
The Windwards will rely heavily on skipper Rawl Lewis, opener Devon Smith and all-rounder Daren Sammy with left-arm fast bowler Deighton Butler, Liam Sebastian and Shane Shillingford, the support actors to the main cast.
On paper Guyana appears to be the stronger side with West Indies players Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who arrived in Guyana over the week-end spearheading the batting.
They will be supported by the likes of Sewnarine Chattergoon, Travis Dowlin and Narsingh Deonarine.
The Guyana bowling attack has a trio of experienced campaigners in regional record holder Mahendra Nagamootoo, Reon King and Neil Mc Garrell.
They will be supported by the Crandon brothers Esaun and Royston and young Zaheer Mohammed.
Admission is $500.00 for adults and $200.00 for children and spectators will be hoping to get their money’s worth especially with the recent twenty20 tournament delivering excitement in the form of sixes galore.
Teams in this year’s competition will be looking to break records. They just might have their eyes on Trinidad’s 409-6 in 50 overs versus the Northern Windwards at Melbourne Park, Kingston, Jamaica in 2001 which stands as the highest One-Day score.
It therefore will be interesting to see if the best bowling performance in regional One-Day cricket, Hamish Anthony’s 7-15 for the Leeward Islands in the 1995 Shell Sandals final at the ARG ground against Barbados and Darnley Joseph’s 153, which stands as the highest individual score in the Windward Islands versus Bermuda 1997 Red Stripe Bowl tournament, are still standing when the tournament ends.
Squads: GUYANA: Ramnaresh Sarwan (Captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Travis Dowling, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Narsingh Deonarine, Royston Crandon, Assad Fudadin, Derwin Christian, Neil McGarrell, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Esaun Crandon, Reon King, Christopher Barnwell, Zaheer Mohamed.
WINDWARD ISLANDS: Rawl Lewis (captain), Heron Campbell, Andre Fletcher, Donwell Hector, Darren Sammy, Liam Sebastian, Lindon James, Shane Shillingford, Mervin Matthews, Nelon Pascal, Gary Mathurin, Deighton Butler, Miles Bascombe, Devon Smith.
UMPIRES: Clancy Mack, Vincent Bullen.
