A view of the Moruca River from the Kumaka bridge
Guyanese in Barbados complain about lack of job, education opportunities
May 25, 2012 By
President Donald Ramotar
Guyanese residing in Barbados complained to President Donald Ramotar at a meeting on Sunday about the prohibitive costs of education for them, as well as the non-recognition of qualifications from the University of Guyana.
The Barbados administration over the years has been criticised for its hard-line immigration policy – which has caused many Guyanese hardships.
The Barbados Nation has reported Ramotar as saying that Barbados and other territories that are making it difficult for non nationals who are educated in their countries to access jobs are robbing themselves.
Ramotar spoke to the Daily Nation Sunday evening after hearing several complaints from Guyanese nationals during a meeting at the Amaryllis Beach Resort about access to, and the prohibitive costs of, education for them, as well as the non-recognition of qualifications from the University of Guyana.
Specific to people not being hired after leaving school, Ramotar said that based on what he was hearing, a territory was “robbing” itself of the services of people who were available to them.
“If kids are here studying and they pass the CXC [Caribbean Examinations Council’s] Examination, but they can’t get a job here, I think it is just robbing themselves of a human resource that they could use to the development of their own country,” he remarked.
“Not only are you creating, probably unnecessarily, bad feelings, but you’re robbing your own country of resources.” Back in 2010 the administration of the late David Thompson deported a number of Guyanese, deemed undocumented.
“The policy is clear.” Thompson had stated emphatically, “Those who have made no attempt to regularise their status will be asked to leave. Those who have made an attempt to regularise, we will give them time to see whether their application is clear and reasonable.”
“If it isn’t, we will say ‘thank you very much, but regrettably we cannot accommodate you’, and if it is, we will grant them status.”
The policy was roundly condemned by several heads of government, as well as the Coalition For A Humane Amnesty which had said in a statement that the inhumane approach “to our Caribbean brothers and sisters may be contrasted with the progressive and constructive policy that was pursued by the previous administration.”
The group said the previous government had a policy under which undocumented or ‘illegal’ Caricom migrants who had resided in Barbados for five or more years, were permitted to come forward and apply for immigrant status.
And once they were able to demonstrate to the immigration authorities that they were gainfully employed, had no criminal record, and were likely to make a constructive contribution to our society, they were accepted.
The organisation said this was a good policy, because it came to the rescue of persons who had become ‘Barbadianised’, and had become part of Barbadian society.
Deporting such persons simply did not help anybody, and a wise Barbados government acknowledged this. According to the coalition, the ‘real’ problem with the immigration situation in Barbados is that the traditional and long-standing exchange of migrants between Barbados and Guyana evolved into a ‘migrant labour phenomenon’ over the past decade, but the government of Barbados failed to acknowledge this new development, and therefore also failed to establish a formal ‘migrant labour programme’ with appropriate controls and administrative structures.
“The reality is that the Barbadian economy and society has evolved in such a manner that the present generation of native Barbadians is no longer attracted to the physically taxing and repetitive labour of the agricultural, manual and low level service jobs that their parents and grand-parents were prepared to do!”
Over the past decade or so therefore, the Barbadian economy has come to rely on imported Guyanese workers to perform essential but unwanted jobs in agriculture, construction, care of the elderly, and a range of low-level services.
Gov’t gets tough on gold smuggling
May 25, 2012 By
By Ariana Gordon
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud
Even as local miners across the country express disappointment with what they perceived to be the slothfulness of the administration in curbing gold smuggling, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud said “let’s await some of the plans”. In an invited comment, Persaud said: I would say look at action… I am not going to give details.”
He noted that work is in progress and his ministry, in collaboration with other entities such as the Home Affairs Ministry, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) as well as international agencies, is working towards minimising and eventually curtailing gold smuggling.
The issue of miners smuggling gold across Guyana’s borders has been on the table for many years. But according to some miners, government is doing nothing about it.
“The truth is there are lots of senior officials that encourage this kind of thing – it is not a hard thing to do… there is no solution as it has become a normal activity in the life of some in the sector,” one miner told Guyana Times International under condition of anonymity.
The miner said the issue goes far beyond gold smuggling, as it is also tied to the trafficking of narcotics and money laundering.”This is dangerous, people could get killed for making such statements,” this newspaper was told.
Another miner said, “This is big business here. I don’t think people on the outside understand the magnitude of what happens here… if there is no smuggling, then these people can’t compete with the gold board.” He said only 40 per cent of the gold produced here is accounted for, as “the majority is smuggled”.
The man who has spent some 12 years in Guyana’s interiors in search of gold explained that there are individuals licensed by the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) to buy gold from outside of the gold board and persons would purchase gold from them for higher prices.
This file photo shows miners in operation at Imbaimadai in the Region Seven district
“They would sell the gold to the people for a higher price… in some cases Gy$ 10,000 to Gy$ 12,000 more than the actual cost per ounce… and there are no records… but of course, if you require the records you can get it… with some modifications.”
Big money
“This is big money, you could imagine when you pay Gy$ 10,000 to Gy$ 12,000 more on an ounce of gold and you have a substantial amount how much money you are walking away with?” the miner asked rhetorically.
Large amounts of gold from Guyana’s mines are reportedly smuggled to Suriname, Brazil, possibly Venezuela, Colombia, and the United States, Guyana Times International was told. Cases of interception, this publication was informed, are few as those who smuggle the mineral across the country’s borders are “well connected”. Another miner added that those who smuggle gold would often times sell a portion of gold produced to the GGB so as to qualify for the incentives provided by the government such as duty-free concessions etcetera.
“They sell an amount to make them qualify and the rest goes outside… a lot of it is undercover, from the outside you would never know, but when you are in the fields and you look at what is happening, you only say look ‘how my country is being raped’.” “It real simple, man, not a hard task. There are ways about it and the government only talking about clamping down; if they want to clamp down, they could,” the miner said.
He opined that the increase in the number of persons that have begun mining over the last five years is a representation of the “benefits accrued from smuggling gold”. Asked about the prevalence of raids in mining communities, one 22-year-old miner said: “That don’t happen here… who raiding?”
Asked about the rate of conviction and success in catching those who conduct the illicit trade, Minister Persaud said, “I have to do research on that… it is very difficult.”
A representative of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) told this publication that the association has no unified position on the issue, but “there are lots of speculations that there are large numbers of operations”.
The official added that there is a leak somewhere, but “to say there is smuggling and where the gold is being smuggled to is a difficult task”. The official said there could be many reasons for the low production or declaration by some miners, pointing specifically to methods used to recover gold.
“They are sometimes not recovering enough… there are little lands being opened up and there is the reworking of the land… the same land so that’s may be an explanation for under declarations,” he said, adding the systems used by some miners are archaic he said terming them “inefficient”.
There is a large number of Brazilian nationals in Guyana’s mining sector, with many of them operating illegally, a fact that led the administration to implement “Operation El Dorado.” Government has said repeatedly that it will not condone illegal mining by anyone.
Partnership imperative to advance nation’s business – Trotman
May 25, 2012 By
Deputy Speaker Deborah Baker at podium shares a joke with the headtable. Seated at the headtable from left to right are: Speaker Raphael Trotman, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, UNDP Country Representative Khadija Musa, UK High Commissioner Andrew Ayre, and APNU Deputy Chairman Dr Rupert Roopnaraine
Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman said partnership must prevail among all parties and Members of Parliament (MPs) in the National Assembly. This, he stressed, is not an option but a necessity, as it will help to move the business of the country forward. Trotman said it is no accident that the theme: “Managing through Partnership” was chosen.
According to him, the 10th Parliament started with many changes, a reality that must be accepted by all MPs.
“Parliament and the executive are expected to work as partners if there is to be success of any kind. It may be difficult to attempt, perhaps, but it is indispensable to our nation’s good health and development,” Trotman said. He also urged MPs to tone down their rhetoric, and view the changes as an opportunity for progress and development, not a challenge or a stumbling block.
“Constitution review and reform is, therefore, imperative to continue the work of redesigning and adapting our executive Parliament and our judiciary,” Trotman pointed out.
He said there needs to be greater civility and tolerance in discourse and interaction among parliamentarians.
The two-day seminar, he explained, is geared to get MPs from both sides of the House to embrace the concept of a partnership as a management tool for government.
Meanwhile, British High Commissioner to Guyana Andrew Ayre said that the seminar is taking place at the most critical moment in Guyana’s history, and is an important step in joining forces for a better working Parliament.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative Khadija Musa noted that the seminar will be informative and commended the Speaker and the government for making the initiative a reality.
Deputy Chairman of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Dr Rupert Roopnaraine said the 10th Parliament has come a long way from previous parliaments, especially based on the work done in the 1999 constitutional reform process.
“The division that began in the political campaigns before the elections is still there, and it is fresh and my feeling is that in weeks or months ahead, we will go beyond and find the necessary common ground that we must have if we are to move Guyana forward,” the APNU MP stated.
The striving for consensus will not be easy, Dr Roopnaraine said, but all parties must work collectively. He acknowledged that such a partnership has been established through the setting up of the institutional framework of “tripartite talks”, a mechanism that has so far brought together all three parties in several discussions and could soon see some of the discussions being institutionalised and developed.
The opening of the two-day seminar for MPs was also attended by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, UNICEF Country Representative Suleiman Braimoh, members of the diplomatic corps, MPs from all three political parties, and staff of the National Assembly.
The seminar will be addressed by four guest MPs, three from the United Kingdom: David Lammy, Craig Whittaker, Adrian Jenner Clerk of the Welch Affairs Committee, and an MP from Canada.
Parliamentarians express renewed optimism as training ends
May 25, 2012 By
- Canada, UK MPs commend local efforts
By Samuel Sukhnandan
Deputy Speaker Debra Backer, Speaker Raphael Trotman and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds at the launch of the two-day seminar for Members of Parliament
Members of Parliament (MPs) ended a two-day seminar on Tuesday promising to build better partnerships, reduce rhetoric and put aside political agenda, with the aim of serving all Guyanese. This is according to Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman, who told the media that the seminar was successful, given the fact that several topics of importance were discussed.
Trotman believes that the seminar fulfilled the theme: “Managing through Partnership”. “The fact that such a seminar was held was a success,” the Speaker told a media operative as he responded to a question on concrete outcomes of the meeting.
Trotman stressed that all MPs displayed true camaraderie, despite party differences. He is hopeful that things will change at the next sitting and MPs will have better approaches to issues and topics raised for debate in Parliament.
Asked whether the seminar will help to advance tripartite talks, Trotman said he believes that it will help in several ways. According to him, the government has already written both opposition parties to recommence talks relating to several issues. This, he believes, is a good start and could lead towards achieving true partnership among all parties and 65 sitting members.
Representatives of government, the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) also agreed with Trotman’s comments and committed to working together.
Meanwhile, visiting MP from the United Kingdom, David Lammy lauded the actions of the MPs, and expressed hope that this continues.
He said, “I will leave feeling hopeful about the circumstances of progress here in Guyana.” He noted that while a minority government is new to Guyana, this has happened in many countries. The key in taking the nation’s work forward, he said, is partnership and once this is established among all MPs, progress will take its rightful place.
“I think that I heard across all parties, a strong sense of renewed commitment to the unity of Guyana and the need for greater efforts for social cohesion,” Lammy stated. According to him, the seminar reflected on new initiatives to support partnership. The UK politician also stated that the seminar focused especially on: How all MPs can work on issues, not always political, across parties so that there is less tension and be clearer about party views on any issue.
Truce
AFC executive member Moses Nagamootoo in his remarks said, “I wish to observe that nothing will do Guyana better at this historical point, acknowledging the will of the electorate,… [than for] there to be a “truce…” He stressed that it should be the collective will of all MPs to move Guyana forward, putting aside partisan politics and using Parliament as a forum to advance the national agenda. The seminar, he said, addressed issues of accountability, governance and relationship.
Government’s Chief Whip Gail Texeira lauded the effort of the Speaker to plan such a seminar with the support of the UNDP, among other agencies. The government MP also stressed that the seminar was held at the most suitable time after the tension that arose out of the recent budget debates.
“This seminar may have helped to break the ice, in what has emerged since the elections and it is still uncharted waters,” she said. The lessons learnt, Teixeira said, require maturity and wisdom from all MPs, which can lead to a path of development – a long road filled with many challenges.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Khadija Musa also acknowledged the success of the training, and committed her organisation’s continued support to enhancing the work of the Guyana Parliament. The UNDP official believes that the 23 new MPs need more exposure to other parliaments and how they operate, to bring about effective outcomes in the local Parliament.
The other visiting MPs from the UK and Canada also commended the efforts of local parliamentarians and suggested that they bear in mind their duty to the nation, putting aside partisanship.
A document relating to the outcome of the seminar would be made available to the public in a matter of weeks. This will be done after the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the UNDP would have reported on the forum.
The seminar, which saw the participation of all MPs, was officially launched last Sunday and was supported and funded by the UNDP, UNICEF, and the CPA.
Hardy faces Eastman test on June 1
May 25, 2012 By
Calm before the storm! Simeon ‘Candyman’ Hardy (left) and Howard ‘Battersea Bomber’ Eastman square off moments after signing their contracts yesterday
The unbeaten Simeon ‘Candyman’ Hardy will face the sternest test of his short professional career when he faces the experienced Howard ‘Battersea Bomber’ Eastman in the main bout of the 23rd edition of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) ProAm Friday Night Fights next Friday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The bout is a replacement for the much anticipated encounter between reigning light heavyweight champion Kwesi ‘Lightening Struck Assassin’ Jones and Trinidad and Tobago’s Shawn Corbin. This publication understands that Corbin could not honour his ring date due to pressing work commitments.
Hardy and Eastman inked their names to their respective contracts yesterday in the boardroom of Abdool and Abdool Insurance Brokers Limited, following which the 41- year-old Eastman, who lost his national middleweight title to Edmond ‘Wonder Boy’ De Clou, said he is excited about the junior middleweight match-up.
“I am excited about this fight and I do hope it will be a dry night, Hardy faces Eastman test on June 1 in comparison to my last fight. Other than that, I am comfortable going into this bout, as this is a weight I fought at when I started boxing and I do intend to put on a great show on fight night” Eastman, whose record reads 46-9 with 36 knockouts, said.
Eastman’s last fight was in October 2011, when he lost a majority decision to De Clou, but vowed to give Hardy a tough time in the ring, while acknowledging his opponent’s impressive record to date.
“I appreciate the opportunity that is being given to me, to face a young unbeaten fighter, as when you are unbeaten you have a lot of braveness, so I am excited to step into the ring against him.”
He added, “I want the fight to be an exciting one and I hope there is no leaks at the Sports Hall. He is a serious opponent as his record tells me that and I am more scared of him than my last opponent, but having said that, I am Howard Eastman and I don’t intend to be anybody’s punching bag.”
The 24-year-old Hardy has an impressive record that reads 8-0 with seven victories coming within the distance. He won the World Boxing Council/ Caribbean Boxing Federation (WBC/ CABOFE) welterweight title, following his sensational knockout victory over Iwan Azore in January.
Asked if he will be looking to chalk up his ninth knockout victory, Hardy said he is always looking for a knockout, but at the same time, will be looking to get some rounds in, as he is fine tuning his preparations for the WBC Cup Championships, which is set for August.
“First of all, it will be an honour for me to be in the ring with Eastman. I can recall as a teenager after he fought William Joppy, I stood outside of ACME in the rain for over an hour, waiting to get a glimpse of him and later an autograph. Now look how things have changed as I am signing a contract to face him in the squared jungle. He is a very experienced fighter who has been there and done that, and there is nothing new for him to learn and on June 1st, my record will remain unblemished,” Hardy said.
Other fights on the card will see Azore taking on Barbados WBC/ CABOFE lightweight champion Miguel Antoine; Rudolph Fraser matching gloves with Cassius Matthews in a junior lightweight contest; while Kelsie George will be looking to redeem himself, following his loss to De Clou, when he faces James Walcott.
The ‘Stealth Bomber’ Gwendolyn O’Neil
May 25, 2012 By
First Guyanese woman ever to win a world boxing title
By Venessa Deosaran
Gwendolyn (right) in action in the boxing ring
She is famously known as the ‘Stealth Bomber’ to her Guyanese fans. Gwendolyn O’Neil on May 29, 2004, then a 35-year-old mother of five, became the first Guyanese woman ever to win a world boxing title.
‘Gwen’ grew up in the Barima River area of the North West District, the twentieth child in a family of 21. Her toughness in the ring originated from long hours spent doing hard work on her parents’ farm at an early age. Her father, who was from St. Lucia, died when she was just five years old. She also had to fight her way through school so as not to be taken advantage of by boys.
Her interest in combat sports began with martial arts but she was introduced to boxing by her husband. Her decision to turn pro was inspired by a fight she saw on television. She told Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, “One day I saw two women fighting and I told my husband, ‘They can’t beat me, I can beat them both!’”
On July 31, 1999 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, she knocked out Kim ‘Bonecrusher’ Quashie of Trinidad in the first round of a heavyweight bout.
On December 4, 1999 in Georgetown, she won a four-round decision over Guyanese Margaret Walcott.
December 26, 2000 at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Gwen (at 170 lbs) won by TKO over southpaw Guyanese Geraldine Cox in the third round of a scheduled four-rounder, as part of the ‘Boxing Day KO’ organized by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC), which has been actively encouraging women’s boxing in Guyana.
On August 5, 2001 in Georgetown, she fought to a four-round draw in a rematch with Margaret Walcott. On December 26, 2001 at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Melissa Charles of Trinidad won by disqualification over Gwen, who was ejected for biting her opponent.
The 'Stealth Bomber' flexing her muscles at a media conference
Then on May 24, 2003 at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Gwen won the vacant ‘Guyanese Light Heavyweight’ title with a fourth-round TKO of Margaret Walcott.
In January 2004 Gwen travelled to Abuja, Nigeria for a six-round bout with Laila Ali on January 10, but Ali cancelled at the last moment, saying that the airline seats for her and her entourage had only been reserved by the event organizers, and not paid for.
“I think that she was just scared,” said O’Neil. “She tried to duck me. I know that I would have knocked her out. I’m still prepared to fight her once she has the guts to mix it with me. I’m not in this business to joke around. This is serious business, forty thousand people turned up at the stadium to witness the bout. I had to apologize for the absence of Ali when I took to the ring.”
The card was arranged for a charity combating AIDS and human trafficking.
On May 29, 2004 at National Park, a crowd of about 5000 fans saw Gwen win a ten-round unanimous decision over Kathy Rivers for the WIBA Light Heavyweight title. There were no knockdowns in a hard fought battle.
O’Neil was awarded a house lot, a grant towards building a house, and a duty free concession for a car by the government of Guyana in appreciation of her win.
But then at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Sept. 24, 2004, Laila Ali won the IWBF Light Heavyweight title with a third-round knockout of Gwen.
For those who may not have seen the match, Ali began the fight letting O’Neil come to her while she blocked most of her punches with her gloves, a strategy reminiscent of her father’s ‘rope-a-dope’ tactic against George Foreman. As O’Neil appeared to tire after just a minute of this, Ali began to respond with quick jabs and hard hooks to her body. She responded to a lazy jab by O’Neil midway through the second round by knocking her down with a counter right to the chin. O’Neil recovered quickly but the same scenario played out later in the round, putting O’Neil down for an eight count that left her still wobbly. Ali turned up the heat in the third as O’Neil looked increasingly desperate. Ali dropped O’Neil in a neutral corner with another right to the jaw as the third round was ending. This time O’Neil sat stunned as she was counted out by referee Jim Korb. Ali walked away a victor.
“She was tough. I had to hit her with straight rights to knock her down,” Ali said in an interview after the fight.
Asked why she boxes, Gwen replied, “Because I like the game. I like fighting, and I like being rough. My goal is to beat anybody who gets in the ring with me. I need a few more titles and then I can say I have done great.” (Taken from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
Burnett sizzles despite wet conditions
May 25, 2012 By
Cleveland Thomas (right) battles with Trinidadian Mark London in the male 800m.
Marian Burnett ran a spirited final 300m to win the hotly anticipated 1500m international race at the third President’s Jefford Track and Field Classic at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground in Linden on Sunday (May 13).
Despite, the less than ideal conditions with parts of the track under water and other parts muddy from persistent rain, Burnett managed to stave off strong challenges from two-time Carifta 1500m champion Jevina Straker, who came in second, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Tonya Nero, already part of T& T’s contingent for this year’s Olympics in London.
The well executed race from the double Olympian and hometown girl sent the spectators into a frenzy, some venturing into the drizzle to cheer and take photos of the star and her finish that left her panting for breath. Burnett finished with a time of 5: 05.60 while Straker and Nero finished with times of 5: 07.50 and 5: 07.80 respectively.
Burnett, not competing in the 800m, allowed Straker, representing National Park, to take pole position with a time of 2: 30.80 ahead of Police Sports Club athletes Jenella Jonas (2: 38.40) and Adama Roberts (2: 40.60).
Straker also struck gold in the long distance by recording a time of 12: 03.70 in the 3000m ahead of Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Ashanti Scott (12: 09.60) and Roberts (12: 19.70).
In the men’s category, Cleveland Forde comfortably won his long and middle distance events by registering times of 16: 35.80 4: 15.70 in the 5000m and 1500m respectively. Upper Demerara’s Nathaniel Giddings finished second with 16: 43.40 while Tyshon Bentick, also of GDF, recorded a third place time of 17: 18.30.
Cleveland Thomas settled for second in the 1500m with a time of 4: 20.80 but redeemed himself in 800m with a winning time of 1: 58.80 ahead of Mark London of T& T (2: 00.30) and PSC’s Kevin Bayley (2: 01.70).
In the marquee sprint event national athlete Chavez Ageday, Akeem Stewart and Terry Easton all clocked 11.50s in the 100m, which was decided on timings from the preliminaries.
Stephan James, of NP, copped the 200m event with the best time of 23.40s ahead of his club mate Elton Bollers, who clocked 23.70s and GDF’s Patrick King that ran a time of 23.90s. Bollers however, returned in the 400m to upset James, the ruler of the junior roost in that event, with a time of 51.20s; James was second with a run 51.70s and Shawn Semple of PSC was third with a time of 52.30s.
On the distaff side, easily beat her rivals to land the sprint double in the 100m and 200m. Fortune’s time of 12.20s in her heat bettered Neisa Allen’s time of 12.50s and Tiffany Carto’s 12.80s. Fortune ran 25.60s in the 200m before Natrena Hooper returned a time of 27.10s and Allen Allen, 27.30s.
Allen however, did not disappoint in her pet event as she romped to victory in the 400m with a time of 1: 02.30. Hooper was second in 1: 02.70 and Nadine Rodrigues rounded out the top three with a run of 1: 02.80s.
Beach football has a future in Guyana – says Tappin
May 25, 2012 By
Coordinator of competitions in the Guyana Beach Football Association (GBFA), Rollin Tappin, said that despite the Red Jaguars lost to Tobago Beach Football Club team in the International Series, he is upbeat about their future.
He pointed out that the players were impressive and showed that they have matured over the months.
However, according to the coordinator, they need to work harder on their finishing.
“They tackled the opposition and dribbled well but they were not so good in placing the ball in the goal. That department was where they fell down in the matches,” explained Tappin.
Rollin Tappin, GBFA competition coordinator
The Red Jags lost the three match series 2-1, as they went down 6-5 in the first game, 6-5 in the second, and won the third 7-3.
He stressed that the series was vital for the local boys as they had different opponents for a change. They learned new techniques as well, and recognised where they need to improve. He added that Guyana and other Caribbean countries aim to develop beach football and spread it as wide as possible.
As it relates to Guyana, the Association is working towards drawing teams out of Linden since at the moment the sport is played only in the mining town. Tappin claims that they are in the process of forming teams in Timehri and on the East Bank of Demerara, adding that they are also working towards forming a ground at Splashmins where the out-of- Linden players will train and play.
When asked about future plans for the sport, Tappin disclosed that there will be a senior tournament in August from which a team will be selected to represent Guyana in Trinidad and Tobago for a series among 19 teams from across the world in October.
He noted that the Association will widen the youth programme as well.
At the moment the youth programme just consists of a school tournament that is ongoing in Linden. Tappin stated that they want to expand and add a Grade Five Academy to it by August.
However, according to the coordinator, the Association lacks funds to formalise their plans. He claimed that they are in the process of meeting corporate sponsors and hope they would come on board.
They hurt me mentally – Sarwan
May 25, 2012 By
Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies batsman who has not played for his country since June 2011, has turned on the national team’s coaching set up for his continued nonselection.
Ramnaresh Sarwan
