The Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/Demerara Distilleries Limited (DDL) Pepsi-sponsored first division 40 overs-a-side round robin competition commences today with four first round matches following its launching at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) pavilion yesterday.
In the three scheduled matches that will commence from 11:00 hrs, GCC will confront the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) at GCC (Umpires: Clyde Duncan and Daniel Pantlitz), Transport Sports Club (TSC) will face Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) at Everest (Umpires: Edward Nichols and Matthew Kissoon) and Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) will host Police at Queenstown (Umpires: Colin Alfred and Mario Nicholls).
Only one match is slated for tomorrow and it will pit Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) against Everest Cricket Club (ECC) at Everest under the guidance of Edward Nicholls and Matthew Kissoon.
Meanwhile, the competition, which was launched at a simple ceremony at the GCC pavillion yesterday, will see the teams playing each other on a round robin basis and the one with the most points will be declared the winner, receiving a first prize of $100,000 and a trophy.
Speaking at the launching, president of the GCA Bishwa Panday expressed his delight in having DDL who has pumped over $500,000 into the competition through its Pepsi brand, come on board with the GCA as another member of its growing family of sponsors.
“I am happy to welcome DDL and in particular the Pepsi brand into the growing family of sponsors of the Georgetown cricket. Pepsi has kindly agreed to sponsor this first division competition for clubs in Georgetown and we are grateful to them, as the more cricket that is played, more are the opportunities for cricketers to hone their talent and showcase their potential.”
Panday further highlighted the efforts of the executives as cricket in Georgetown has been on the ascendancy, catering for every age group from under-15 to over-40.
“We have had under-15 and 19 competitions respectively. There is a second division competition that is in progress at the moment whilst the over-40 competition will resume this weekend, and now we are launching this first division limited overs competition.”
“Because of what we have been doing at the various levels, Georgetown has been able to assert its supremacy at the under-15 and 17 levels, winning the inter-association competitions organized by the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) this year,” said Panday.
He said further, ”Not only have we won both competitions but recently in the under-17 inter-county tournament which was won by Demerara, players from Georgetown, namely skipper Dexter Solomon, batsmen Dellon Fernandes and Quincy Ovid-Richardson, spinners Ricardo Devers and Amir Khan and fast bowlers Seon Daniels and Andre Stoll, have all had outstanding
performances during same.”
Panday also assured the sponsors whose marketing representative for Pepsi Alana Johnson was present that the competition will be properly managed as the GCA and its executives work hard to ensure that the contribution to the national pool of cricketers continues as they seek to produce more Shivnarine Chanderpauls, Ramnaresh Sarwans, Carl Hoopers and Colin Crofts.
Johnson thanked the GCA for having DDL and Pepsi on board with them as they seek to broaden the horizons of not only cricket, but sports in Guyana.
“DDL under its Pepsi brand is quite happy to be associated with this first division competition that is being run under the auspices of the GCA for teams in Georgetown. We are committed to the development of sports, we love sports, we love young people and cricket is no different.”
“We are happy to be associated with this tournament, as we know it will provide the opportunity for young cricketers to develop themselves as it is only through competitions that our cricketers would be fully tested and know their worth,” Johnson stated.
While noting that Pepsi is the official soft drink of West Indies cricket, Johnson urged the players to live up to the Pepsi challenge throughout the competition which is to strive for more than the ordinary and expected, while at the same time daring themselves to be more than they expect to be.
“Taste, discover and live more with Pepsi and do have fun playing the Caribbean game which unites us all – cricket.”
