Cricket West Indies Regional Under-19 defending champions Guyana will depart local shores for St Vincent and the Grenadines today where they will look to retain their championship crown for the sixth consecutive year, this time under the leadership of West Indies Under-19 player, Ashmead Nedd.
While this year will only feature five 50-over matches, the team has reportedly been selected based on performances in both three-day and 50-over Inter-County tournaments played recently.
An 18-member squad was encamped for a one-week period with that number now trimmed to 14.
No official word has come from the Guyana Cricket Board but according to well-placed sources, the team will be banking on experience to lead them to the title with eight players returning.
The top order will see once again Alex Algoo, who scored the inter-county’s lone century, at the top of the order, along with the local tournament’s Most Valuable Player Junior Sinclair, Sachin Singh or Adrian Hinds opening the batting.
The middle order batsmen in Alphius Bookie, Joel Spooner and Kevlon Anderson are all capable to set the foundation for big hitters such as Garfield Benjamin and Seon Glasgow.
The spin department features three left arm spinners, Daniel Mootoo, Kelvin Umroa and Nedd while Sinclair, Spooner and Glasgow are offspinners.
Meanwhile, the seamers who can earn points for fast bowling include Qumar Torrington, Leon Swamy, Anderson, Singh and Bookie.
The team will once again be under the coaching of level three coach Julian Moore, and will be managed by Andy Ramnarine.
Guyana will open their campaign against the Windward Islands at Arnos Vale on July 28 before playing Barbados at the same venue two days later.
On August 1, they will come up against Leeward Islands at Park Hill and round off the tournament at Arnos Vale against Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago on August 4 and 6 respectively.
