Fiery Essequibo pacer Ronsford Beaton is the lone new cap in a Guyana 13 man team named for the upcoming regional four–day tournament which bowls off next month.
Beaton, who represented the national U19 team last year, impressed during last year’s GCB senior four-day tournament where he was easily the fastest bowler on show.
Former West Indies batsman Travis Dowlin has been dropped despite scoring a century against Essequibo in last year’s GCB senior four-day tournament while Christopher Barnwell and Steven Jacobs are among seven reserve players named.
All three were members of Guyana’s T20 team which failed to defend their 2010 title.
The side includes opener Shemroy Barrington, who slammed a superb century playing for the Rest Team against Berbice in last year’s GCB senior four-day tournament as well as the out of form Sewnarine Chattergoon.
The side will be led by Assad Fudadin and he will have leg-spinner Davendra Bishooo as his deputy since regular skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan and his fellow West Indies player Shivnarine Chanderpaul are unavailable due to West Indies commitments.
According to Cricket Development Officer of the Guyana Cricket Board Reon King, “Sarwan and Chanderpaul left today (yesterday) for the Sri Lanka leg and the World Cup and will be available after the World Cup which starts on February 19.
The side does however, see the return of Narsingh Deonarine who missed the regional T20 series because of injury.
Last year Deonarine became the first player to score 1000 runs in a regional first class season although Guyana finished in the cellar position.
King, who said he only finished finalizing the programme yesterday said the players will begin training immediately under new coach Mark Harper, the former Guyana middle order batsman and Bermuda coach.
Harper last evening said the programme will commence from 8am today at the Georgetown Cricket Club.
Guyana will open their campaign against Jamaica in Jamaica from February 4-7 and King said time was off the essence.
“We don’t have a lot of time. Not only the programme but the quality of programme will be very important,” he added.
This year’s tournament which ends on April 11, will entail a league format followed by the semi-finals and final.
The top four Caribbean teams in the league will compete in the semi finals.
The tournament which commences with matches in Jamaica, Antigua, Trinidad and Barbados, will see teams opposing each other once in the league phase.
After a break following the fourth round, the tournament will resume on March 11th.
Seven regional teams will compete in the tournament along with the England Lions who will participate in the league before returning to the UK on March 28th.
England’s Richard Illingworth and an umpire from Bangladesh will officiate in three matches each as part of an Umpire Exchange Programme. Wicketkeeper Derwin Christian keeps his place no doubt because of his match winning knock against CCC in the regional T20 tournament condemning rival Anthony Bramble into the reserve section along with Vishal `Chessy’ Singh and Andre Stoll.
The Guyana team is Rajendra Chandrika, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Shemroy Barrington, Assad Fudadin, (captain), Narsingh Deonarine, Leon Johnson, Royston Crandon, Derwin Christian, Devendra Bishoo, (vice captain), Veerasammy Permaul, Esuan Crandon, Ronsford Beaton and Brendon Bess.
The reserves are : Anthony Bramble, Vishaul Singh, Zaheer Mohamed, Steven Jacobs, Andre Stoll, Keon Joseph and Christopher Barnwell.
WICB REGIONAL 4 DAY
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Round 1: February 4 – 7
Jamaica v Guyana in Jamaica (Vivian Johnson & Clancy Mack)
Leeward Islands v England Lions at Warner Park in St Kitts (Luther Kelly & Lennox Abrahams)
Trinidad & Tobago v Barbados in Trinidad (Joel Wilson & Nigel Duguid)
Combined Campuses & Colleges v Windward Islands at 3Ws Oval in Barbados (Gregory Brathwaite & Peter Nero.)
Round 2: February 11 – 14
Guyana v Leeward Islands at Guyana National Stadium in Guyana (Clyde Duncan & Vincent Bullen)
Trinidad & Tobago v Combined Campuses & Colleges at UWISPEC in Trinidad (Peter Nero & Richard Illingworth.)
Barbados v England Lions at Kensington Oval in Barbados (Goaland Greaves & Gregory Brathwaite.)
Windward Islands v Jamaica at Grenada National Stadium in Grenada (Lennox Abrahams & Clancy Mack)
Round 3: February 18 – 21
Barbados v Jamaica at Kensington Oval in Barbados (Vincent Bullen & Richard Illingworth.)
Leeward Islands v Combined Campuses & Colleges in Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua (Luther Kelly & Vivian Johnson)
Windward Islands v Guyana at Arnos Vale in St Vincent (Goaland Greaves & Joel Wilson)
Trinidad & Tobago v England Lions at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad (Norman Malcolm & Nigel Duguid)
Round 4: February 25 – 28
Leeward Islands v Jamaica at Warner Park in St Kitts (Clancy Mack & Peter Nero)
Barbados v Guyana at Guyana National Stadium in Guyana (Norman Malcolm & Nigel Duguid)
Combined Campuses & Colleges England Lions at 3Ws Oval in Barbados (Clyde Duncan & Gregory Brathwaite)
Windward Islands v Trinidad & Tobago at Arnos Vales in St Vincent (Lennox Abrahams & Richard Illingworth)
BREAK: March 1 – 10
Round 5: March 11 – 14
Jamaica v Combined Campuses & Colleges in Jamaica (Norman Malcolm & Joel Wilson)
Barbados v Windward Islands at Kensington Oval in Barbados (Nigel Duguid & Gregory Brathwaite)
Trinidad & Tobago v Leeward Islands at National Cricket Center in Trinidad (Peter Nero & Bangladeshi Umpire TBA)
Guyana v England Lions at Guyana National Stadium in Guyana (Clyde Duncan & Luther Kelly)
Round 6: March 18 – 21
Jamaica v Trinidad & Tobago in Jamaica (Vivian Johnson & Joel Wilson)
Windward Islands v England Lions at Windsor Park in Dominica (Goaland Greaves & Peter Nero)
Combined Campuses & Colleges v Guyana in Barbados (Norman Malcolm & Vincent Bullen)
Leeward Islands v Barbados at Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds in Antigua (Luther Kelly & Bangladeshi Umpire TBA)
Round 7: March 25 – 28
*Jamaica v England Lions at Sabina Park in Jamaica (Clancy Mack & Vivian Johnson)
Guyana v Trinidad & Tobago in Guyana (Norman Malcolm & Clyde Duncan)
Windward Islands v Leeward Islands at Beausejour in St Lucia (Goaland Greaves & Vincent Bullen)
Combined Campuses & Colleges v Barbados at 3Ws Oval in Barbados (Lennox Abrahams & Bangladeshi Umpire TBA)
SEMI FINAL: April 1 – 4
SEMI FINAL 1: League Winner v League 4th Place
SEMI FINAL 2: League 2nd Place v League 3rd Place
FINAL: April 8 – 11
