Inaugural floodlight cricket matches will be held at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) today.
President of the DCC Alfred Mentore said that the club’s newly erected floodlights, installed as a result of a collaboration with the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA), will raise the standard of the club along with cricket in Guyana.
He said that the fitting of the lights at the DCC sports complex is part
of the club’s ongoing development programme.
Mentore revealed to Stabroek Sports yesterday that a total of six poles, each carrying 12 lights will be installed eventually but they will be partially commissioning and testing three of the poles today with two matches, one a hardball and the other a softball.
A 15/15 overs per side hardball match between DCC ‘A’ and DCC ‘B’ will start proceedings at 5.45 pm, followed by the featured softball match between GFSCA and the Parika Softball Stars at 7.35pm which will culminate the evening’s activities. Players participating in the inaugural floodlight hardball matches include the talented Christopher Barnwell, former Guyana and West Indies player Travis Dowlin, Paul Wintz along with the club’s younger generation of players.
Among the soft ball cricketers expected to be on exhibition are Ricky Deonarine, Ramchand, and Ramesh Sunich.
The lights will feed off a generator provided by the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) and will be used to facilitate improvement in future first-class, second-class and the inter-county levels of cricket.
The president and executive of the club believe that the project will benefit the general development of players at DCC along with other players in the city of Georgetown.
Mentore added that the lights will assist players to become more acclimatized with day/night cricket, as well as creating a new avenue for the potential renting of the DCC facility by other clubs or groups who might seek to utilize the sports complex for various activities.
Additionally, the president pointed out that another positive spinoff will be that the younger players both at DCC and other clubs can be exposed to playing under lights at a very early age.
Refreshments will be on sale today at the club, while admission for the two feature games is free.
