Dear Editor,
National under-19, left-arm leg spinner Herry Green joins his brother Herell Green, a composed opening batsman, to be the latest combination of brothers or family members from Essequibo to either represent Guyana or another nation in cricket at any level. He is currently in St Kitts competing in the annual West Indies under 19 championship. Family cricket combinations are an interesting and exclusive group that is led by the only father and son combination of Courtney and Ian Gonsalves. The former, now deceased, was a fierce fast bowler and the latter a wily off-spinner. The most famous brothers on the list though, remain Ramnaresh and Ravi Sarwan, the duo having originated from Wakenaam. Ramnaresh Sarwan has since gone on to represent the West Indies and was also elevated to the captaincy of the regional team besides being Guyana’s senior team captain and now of the CPL. The other brothers to have represented Guyana are batting all-rounders Rovendra and Shivnandan Mandolall and Norman and Royan Fredericks. There is also the family three of Brian, Mark and Mervyn Stephney; the latter was selected at the under 15 level as a fast bowling all-rounder and the former as a leg-spinner at the under 19 level while also representing the Leeward Islands and Montserrat. Mark Stephney who was an attacking batsman also played for Montserrat. Current national fast bowler Ransford Beaton, now at the WICB Academy in Barbados who was born in Montserrat is also on the list with his cousin Clain Williams, another attractive opening batsman who represented the United States and toured Dubai for an ICC tournament.
While I anticipate that this celebrated list will increase in the future, there is serious work to be done in harnessing the talent in Essequibo. In fact every national selectee will be an inspiration for others to follow. However the sport currently remains poorly administered, especially at the club and committee level from where most of the players would have emerged. The few grounds are posing a challenge to maintain, since in one case a club that is made up of mainly young members had to acquire thirty thousand dollars to have a community ground clipped. Most of the grounds fall under the municipality or the state, but are daily maintained by the clubs.
I therefore hope that a better collaborative effort will suffice to make it possible for cricket to remain on the field and not in the liquor restaurants, a place where many choose to play instead.
On the positive and historical side though, Herry Green adds another proud chapter to the rich legacy of Essequibo’s cricket.
Yours faithfully,
Elroy Stephney
