Coach disappointed with umpiring
- Guyana finish third in regional competition
By Sean Devers
Stabroek News
April 17, 2003
Guyana ended a creditable third as defending champions St. Vincent retained their regional under-23 female cricket title on superior net run rate when the 2003 competition ended in St. Lucia on Sunday.
St. Vincent beat the home team in the final round to edge out Trinidad and Tobago who got the better of Guyana in their final game although both teams finished with 17 points.
St Vincent won the six team competition since their net run rate (1.12) was better than Trinidad and Tobago’s 1.01.
Guyana, playing in their first competition at this level, finished with 15 points while Jamaica rebounded from three consecutive defeats to win their final game and end in fourth spot with 10 points.
The Guyana team returned home on Sunday evening and coach Ava Baker said she was pleased with her team’s performance.
Guyana secured victories over Jamaica, St Lucia and the President’s X1 and lost to Trinidad and Tobago and champions St. Vincent.
Baker, speaking live on the GTV’S Sports Magazine television programme shortly after the team’s arrival in Guyana on Monday evening, said she was disappointed with the standard of umpiring and lamented that many decisions went against the South American lasses.
Baker said three Guyanese were selected in the West Indies All Star 14-member squad while two others were among the five stand-by players named at the tournament’s conclusion.
Indomatie Gordial was selected for the Windies under-23 female team for the third consecutive year while Candace Atkins and wicket keeper Tracy Miller were the other Guyanese in the squad. Fast bowler Michele Fitzalbert and Triola Marshall are the Guyanese in the stand by list.
Off-spinning all-rounder Annabel Lewis was the leading wicket taker for Guyana while Sabrina Munroe scored the most runs.
Lewis, from Tucber Park in New Amsterdam Berbice, finished with nine wickets with a best of 5-4 against the President’s X1 when Guyana dismissed that team for 33, the lowest total in the competition.
Munroe, also from New Amsterdam, hit the only six in the competition and her highest score was an unbeaten 35 against St. Lucia.
The players said they were affected by the hot conditions in St. Lucia and the high altitude and felt that they should have beaten Trinidad in the final round after the girls from Carnival country were bowled out for 86.
Coach Baker said the players adjusted well to the strange conditions and played as a team. She added that cricket can give young girls the opportunity of improving their lives and the chance of meeting people and seeing different countries and took the opportunity to encourage more girls to get involved in the game.
Baker revealed that the senior West Indies female competition will be held in Grenada from June 13-29 adding that a club competition is expected to commence shortly in Guyana.
The top club from each county will face off in an inter-county club competition before an inter-county competition will bowl off.
Most of the players feel that not enough girls play competitive cricket in Guyana.
Baker, the coach of the Malteenoes girl’s team, is confident that this year the senior team will perform much better than they did when the competition was held last year in Guyana.
She added that education is very important in any young person’s life and said the Guyana Women’s cricket Association, headed by Attorney at law Emily Dodson, is placing a lot of emphasis on academics as well as the physical aspect of cricket.
