Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President Drubahadur yesterday said preparations are going smoothly for the upcoming West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional women’s limited overs tournament which bowls off next week in Guyana.
The GCB head told Stabroek Sport that the board was equal to the task and he expects the tournament, which will be played across different venues in the country starting July 7, to be conducted with the same professionalism as the other competitions.
“We are looking to ensure the tournament runs off in the most effective manner just like we did with the respective male tournaments in the past,” said Drubahadur.
He added that other areas, for example accommodation for the incoming teams, have already been tackled as teams are expected in Guyana over the next few days.
Guyana will host the tournament this year which, Drubahadur said was another good stride for the country. He, however, pointed out that while he anticipates a good tournament, he is fearful of the recent rainy weather conditions which could likely affect games.
He was also optimistic that the Guyana team will make the most of their training camp, adding that the GCB is looking to bowl off their Inter-County tournament for the females ahead of the Regional fixtures.
“As host we are hoping the weather holds because if the weather holds we could get the Inter-County out of the way. We recently went to an unofficial U19 tour in Trinidad and the girls finished third, so I think we are holding our own.
“We have been going out to the female tournaments and we held our own to play and reach the finals and semis before without the crowd support”. We expect them to do well and we hope the Guyanese will come out and support the females because they need the support at home to do well.”
Drubahadur said that the female players were in high spirits and were eager to have some matches before the tournament begins. He was also glad that the West Indies World Cup winners Tremayne Smartt and Shamaine Campbell were a part of the squad and said their experience adds great value to the team and that he hopes the junior players will learn as much from the two stars.
Admission to the venues which will be confirmed in the days to come is free.
