Guyana-born all-rounder Mark Montfort is eager to make his mark on the Global T20 Canada League after being selected by Toronto Nationals.
Montford, 34, was born in Guyana growing up in Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara. The left-hand batsman represented Guyana National Industrial Cooperation (GNIC) where he was mentored by former West Indies off-spinner, Clyde Butts and current West Indies Assistant Coach, Rayon `Gummy’ Griffith.
The right-arm seamer excelled and earned himself a spot on the Demerara senior team but migrated to Canada in 2011 before he could go further. In Canada he represented Brampton Masters now known as JB Masters and secured a spot on the Canada High Performance team which allowed him the opportunity to make the Canada senior side in 2017.
In discussions with Stabroek Sport, Montfort explained how it unfolded.
“There was the players’ draft in India and I watched it on Facebook live. It was there I found out I was selected for Toronto Nationals. I was more anxious than anything else waiting for that opportunity,” he said.
“It feels really amazing to be part of the second edition of the global T20 League, I’m excited and eager to do well and help my team win the championships,” he added.
While setting the ultimate goal of securing the title with his team, Montfort anticipates having the experience of playing among some of the best players in the world and rubbing shoulders as well as learning from them.
Among those featured alongside Montford include, Yuvraj Singh, Keiron Pollard, Trent Boult, Chris Green and Brandon McCullum.
The all-rounder is among six Guyanese selected for the tournament which will be played from July 25 to August 11. The others are Keemo Paul (Montreal Tigers), Sherfane Rutherford (Edmonton Royals), Dillon Heyliger (Montreal Tigers), Jeremy Gordon (Toronto Nationals) and Matthew Nandu (Vancouver Knights).
