When batting prodigy Marvin Dindyal walks out to spin the toss at the commencement of the 2023 Regional U-19 cricket tournament in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, he will become the 16th player from Guyana’s oldest cricket club to captain the land of the majestic Kaieteur Falls at the Regional U19 level.
The first GCC disciple to captain the Land of Many Waters was Faoud Bacchus. Bacchus was the man calling plays when Barbados hosted the 1972 Benson & Hedges tournament.
Bacchus was also the man in charge the following year, 1973, when St. Lucia hosted the Benson & Hedges championships.
Timur Mohamed emulated Bacchus when he led Guyana in consecutive Benson & Hedges championships in 1975 and 1976 while left-arm orthodox spinner Jerry Angus was the nest GCC player to lead Guyana at the Regional U19 level at the 1978 and 1979 Benson & Hedges tournament in Barbados and Guyana.
Andrew Jackman continued this proud GCC tradition when he led Guyana at the Milo Regional U19 championships in Trinidad & Tobago in 1982.
Vinoo Solomon, son of the legendary Joe Solomon, was the man wearing the captaincy arm band when Guyana contested the 1983 Regional U19 championships in Jamaica.
Carl Hooper took over the Guyana U-19 captaincy from Solomon when Barbados hosted the 1984 Northern Telecoms Championships.
Latchman Bhamsingh was calling plays when Guyana won the 1985 Northern Telecoms Regional U19 Championships hosted by Guyana.
Bhamsingh was the man wearing the captain’s arm band again when Trinidad & Tobago hosted the 1986 Regional Championships while Paul Persaud was the man from GCC who was large and in charge when Guyana hosted the 1989 Regional U 19 championships sponsored by Northern Telecoms.
Nicholas Degroot was originally appointed Guyana’s captain for the 1995 Northern Telecoms championship in St. George’s Grenada but had to withdraw after sustaining a broken finger during the opening fixture against the Leeward Islands. He was replaced as captain by Port Mourant’s Mahendra Nagamootoo.
Ramnaresh Sarwan was the GCC hero when he led Guyana to the Northern Telecoms Championships when the Land of Many Waters hosted the 1997 Regional U19 championships and Sarwan was the man calling plays again the following year 1998 when Trinidad & Tobago hosted the 1998 Northern Telecoms Regional U19 championships.
The Guyana U19 captaincy returned to GCC when the flamboyant left hander Leon Johnson led Guyana to the Regional Championships in St. Vincent & the Grenadines in 2005. That tournament remains special to Johnson his unbeaten 200 vs Barbados is still the highest score by a Guyanese batsman at the Regional U19 level.
Ronaldo Ali Mohamed was the man calling plays when Guyana won the Regional U19 double in Jamaica in 2017.
Now six years later another GCC disciple is entrusted with the nation’s Regional U19 leadership.
Will he emulate his club mate Ronaldo Ali Mohamed?
Only time will tell.
