The opening match of the inaugural Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Under-19 franchise competition was abandoned yesterday after consistent rain at the National Stadium, Providence.
Overnight showers resulted in the contest between General Marine Eagles and Tropical Spring Falcons starting 90 minutes late and the game was reduced to 43 overs-a-side instead of the customary 50.
However, when Falcons won the toss and inserted Eagles, only 6.3 overs were possible before rain again made its unwanted presence felt.
With Eagles on 12 without loss, the 128-minute delay was used for an early lunch and when play eventually resumed at 13.08, the match was further reduced to a 31-overs-a-side affair.
Eagles then carried the score to 25 without loss after 12 overs before the rain came again 16 minutes later. This time, the heavy showers that made visibility from the pavilion to the pitch almost impossible, coupled with heavy winds was too much for the ground staff as they battled the breeze to bring the covers on.
By that time, half of the wicket was damp and was given 43 minutes to air out but due to another shower, the time remaining was too short to constitute a 20-overs-a-side match.
In the period of play possible, Jaden Campbell was lucky to survive two run out attempts but managed to make 14 not out from 13 balls including the lone boundary of the game which was pulled through mid-wicket off of Jason Holder in the third over.
At the other end, Ricardo Ramdehol was very patient in his innings and toiled for an unbeaten seven.
Notably, five players including two national under-17 all-rounders did not take the COVID-19 test and as a result could not feature in the match.
According to Territorial Development Officer, Colin Stuart, the players should have been informed that they needed to take the test and return a negative result in order to be included. He added that once they produce their test result they will be added into the squads once again.
Today’s match will see Eagles taking on Amazon Hawks from 09.30 hours.
