Following a nine-year hiatus that left the competition in limbo, the Guyana Cricket Board’s Inter-County Cricket tournament officially resumed on Saturday morning.
The tournament kicked off at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, with the Berbice and Demerara teams competing against each other.
Multiple sports officials, including Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle, Head of the Guyana and Demerara Cricket Boards, Bissoondyal Singh, Chairman of the Georgetown Cricket Association, Azad Ibrahim, and Culture, Youth and Sports Minister, Charles Ramson, were present at the relaunch.
Minister Ramson used the opportunity to express the government’s confidence in the current Guyana Cricket Board, stakeholders involved across the country who assist in the development of cricket, as well as the players, who hold the key role in the advancement of the sport.
However, he also urged players to be cognisant of their capabilities and carefully assess and improve their performance.
“Cricket, in particular, is not just a game that is whether you can bat or whether you can bowl, because you all here can bat, and you can bowl. Every single one of you. You’re already at the level where you’re representing the county. Some of you have already represented the country. Some of you have already represented even higher than that”, the minister said.
He highlighted to the players, the need to stay abreast with current information.
“So, everybody here can bat and bowl, but it’s whether you are informed. Cricket is a game where you have to be informed. And when you are informed, you know it. It shows on the field… You’ve got to come out here and show that you are demanding your place in the team,” Minister Ramson said.
He urged players to focus on achieving their common goals.
“Your job and your job solely must be focused on how are you playing the game that you love, and the game that you want to advance as your career. That’s what I want you to focus on, and focus on squarely,” the minister expressed.
