By Charwayne Walker
Former national under 19 all rounder, Berbician Boodnarine Sumair, passed away last week in the Ancient County where he resided.
According to information received by this newspaper, Sumair passed away at the age of 53.
A former Blairmont Cricket Club player, Sumair is the first Guyanese cricketer to score a regional century at the Under-19 level on debut.
Sumair scored 109 runs against Barbados in his debut match for Guyana at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, Bourda in August of 1989.
He also represented Berbice at the senior Inter-County level on several occasions.
Hemnarine Chattergoon, elder brother of former West Indies opening batsman, Sewnarine Chattergoon, emulated Sumair’s feat when he scored 128 again against Barbados at Elliston Road, Kingston, Jamaica during the opening match of the 1996 Northern Telecoms championship.
Chattergoon, though, went one step further by scoring another century in his second match 110 against the Windward Islands at the Melbourne Cricket Club Ground in Jamaica.
The achievements by the two Berbicians still stands at the regional Under- 19 level as being the best by Guyanese batsmen.
The 1989 Guyana Under-19 team that Sumair represented was :- Paul Persaud (captain) GCC, Nyeem Baksh (vice-captain) Albion, Keith Semple (DCC) Calvin Belgrave (GCC) Mark Burnette (Police) Derrick McDonald (Police) Gregory Gonsalves (Everest) Glen Robinson (Malteenoes) Sean Devers (Malteenoes) Robin Browne (East Bank) Arjune Nandu (Port Mourant) Asgar Ally, wicketkeeper, (DCC) Shameer Sadloo (East Bank), Rohan Kanhai, coach and Leslie Amsterdam (manager).
