(KAITEURNEWS)Franchise League has been completed with defending 50-over Champions Lower Corentyne, the strongest team on paper, dominating the League with six wins and a draw to take the Championship trophy and $500,000.
Lower Corentyne’s Jonathon Foo scored 150 and 127 in the first two rounds, while former National U-19 batsman and elder brother of Shemron Hetymer, Seon (215) and Surujnarine Kandasammy (212) both scored double centuries in the same innings when the Berbicians rattled up the League’s highest total of 649-9 declared against West Berbice at Port Mourant.
West Demerara’s team included Tagenarine Chanderpaul, the batsman with the most runs (635) and Bajan Raymond Reifer the most successful All-rounder (434 runs & 28) to finish as runners-up to collect $300,000 in the eight-team League which could described as fairly successful.
Highest Total: Lower Corentyne 649-9 declared
Highest Scores: Chanderpaul Hemraj (250), Seon Hetmyer (215) Surujnarine Kandasammy (212):
Most 100s: Jonathon Foo (2) Bhaskar Yadram (2 in 1 match), Assad Fudadin (2)
Top Batsmen: Tagenarine Chanderpaul (635), Surujnarine Kandasammy (607) Jonathon Foo (580) Chanderpaul Hemraj (562) Bhaskar Yadram (514)
Top Bowlers: Eon Hooper (44) Gajanand Suknanan (42), Romario Shepherd (34), Kasim Khan (30) Raymon Reifer (28)
Best Bowling figures: Romario Shepherd (8-49)
Most five-wkts hauls: Eon Hooper (5)
Let’s look at the positives and negatives of the League which concluded on Sunday with the presentation at the Port Mourant ground in Corentyne Berbice.
POSITIVES:
I believe the League’s formation, used to pick the Guyana team for the next WICB First-Class tournament is a great concept. It will expose more players to National selectors in contrast to now defunct senior four-day Inter-County Competition which included a Rest Team and a usually underprepared Essequibo side which struggled to compete despite having talented players.
The GBC must be commended for playing a Franchise tournament in which they have inserted the top players into the eight teams thus strengthening the weaker teams.
Sending Shiv Chanderpaul to play for Essequibo was a wonderful idea. Despite Chanderpaul playing just three matches in League, his presence in the team made a big difference.
Both Coach Michael Hyles Franco (a Berbician) and Manager Forbes Daniels, related how impacting was the presence of the second highest West Indian run-scorer and most experienced West Indian Test player to the batsmen.
While both agreed that Chanderpaul would be better severed as a batting mentor instead of a player in the Guyana for the upcoming season, they stated that Chanderpaul has tremendous Knowledge of cricket.
“When Shiv walked into the dressing room for the first time I told him he would make my job easier. I said Shiv you work with the batsmen and jokingly told him to starting earning his $5,000 per day. He was a great asset to the team and would tell the batsman if they don’t hit the ball in the air they can’t get caught,†the Coach said.
Sending Reifer and Shepherd to open the bowling for West Demerara played a huge role in them finishing second. The pair shared 62 wickets between them and contributed crucial runs.
Another positive for the GCB was that 104 players, eight Coaches and Eight Managers were paid $5,000 per day for the 21 days which meant $12.6 Million was spent on salaries for teams.
Former Test pacer Colin Stuart the TDO of the GCB informed that the local Board gets funding for development programmes and a part of that funding is spent on the League which includes meals and transportation from the GCB hostel to grounds and back.
“We are using a similar format to what the WICB is doing with Regional Franchise four-day competition. In addition to the match fees, the contract players still get whatever their contract offer per month and this includes the Academy contracted players. So now players who are not picked for West Indies could still earn a comfortable living from Cricket,†Stuart disclosed.
The players with ‘A’ contracts get $500,000 per month, those with ‘B’ contracts receive $340,000 and those with ‘C’ contracts get $240,000 with the 14 players with Academy contracts takes home approximately $70,000 every month for training for four days per week.
According the GCB’s secretary and WICB Director Anand Sanasie, the Board is looking for sponsors for next year’s League which will cost $5Million for each Franchise owner and will cover both the 3-day and 50-over format.
Teams will be provided with a home ground, one overseas player will be allowed in each team and entrance fee could be charged for matches by the Franchise owner.
Another positive is that games are played in all three Counties which provide fans in the rural communities an opportunity to see the best cricketers in Guyana play and hopefully create an interest for cricket among the youngsters.
The quality of the ground and pitches at the Imam Bacchus ground in Essequibo was reportedly the best in the League despite its lack high-standard facilities and stands. The Tuschen ground and pitch was also among the best in the League and according to the Tuschen ground committee, if they are guaranteed more matches they would make improvements to their facilities which are presently adequate. The Young Warriors ground in Canje Berbice, while on the small side has one of the quicker tracks.
The emergence of 21 year-old Shepherd and 18-year-old Kemo Paul as quality all-rounders and the consistency of 20-year-old Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 23-year-old Hemraj, Foo, Bhaskar Yadram, Kandasammy and Akshaya Persaud, Sherfane Rutherford are all positives from the League in terms as the future of Guyana’s cricket.
Fudadin scored two tons and a 93 and demonstrated that he had gained something from the Sri Lanka one-day series preparation in Barbados, while at a time when quality off-spinners are hard to find the success of Eon Hooper and Gajanand Suknanan are encouraging as is the return to form of Seon Hetymer.
Tomorrow we will look at the negatives of the tournament including the sub standard cricket and disrespect of the game by players.
