I WAS invited along with other former cricketers and distinguished guests to attend an awards ceremony and dinner at the Regional State House recently in celebration of Essequibo’s senior cricketers’ historical achievement of winning the 3 day GCB Franchise League tournament.
It was the first time in the history of Essequibo’s cricket that the county won a senior national competition. I indeed felt a sense of pride knowing of the legacy that the players would have cemented; a monumental feat that had eluded past players, including myself. Having witnessed the joy on the faces of our champions that evening, I instantly knew that something special was made of them. The modern game has evolved tremendously and with the advent of technology, competition among teams has been even fiercer in many instances.
Players’ technique and training dynamics have also taken a transformational latitude. It is in this context therefore that I am impressed with the dynamism, commitment and passion by which the current crop of Essequibo senior players have emerged.
I recalled that during our activism, especially on the inter-county circuit, that despite the love and passion for the game, we were not progressing either individually or as a team. In fact there was a fundamental vacuum which had negated the prospect of advancing, much less winning against either Demerara or Berbice.
Players were naturally gifted, similar to our present set-up, but the institution to test our resolve and patience was ignominiously dysfunctional; and the key of which were not having strong and functioning clubs as well as mentors. I was always intrigued whenever we bordered to Georgetown or Berbice to play, because the environment was systematically conducive for anyone to perform.
Clubs including GCC, DCC, Albion and Port Mourant remain sound institutions that have set high standards. Players emerging therein took practice seriously; hence the energy which they channeled into those sessions was as if they were into an actual match.
Unfortunately, such a scenario was the opposite by which Essequibo players found their niche. Overtime conditions generally got worse as clubs became disintegrated, players lost their venom and the Administrators became complacent.
Notwithstanding, there were outstanding cricketers that had defied the odds to make a name for themselves, including Alfred Maycock, John Floy, Trenton Peters, Dinesh Joseph, Rayon Thomas, Mark Stephney, Rovendra Mandolall, Ramcharran Singh, Ramesh Narine, Jaimini Singh and Norman Fredericks among others.
It is to their credit that cricket remains alive in Essequibo. Encouragingly, the current generation has now provided a glimmer of hope to revive the fortunes of the county.
With the meteoric rise of Ransford Beaton, Keemo Paul, Kevon Boodie, Anthony Adams, Kemol Savory, Ricardo Adams, who have been featuring prominently, the stage is right for the Essequibo Cricket Board and stakeholders to heavily invest in their future.
The Government is investing in the development of grounds across the Region and it is up to the clubs to take ownership and fully utilise and maintain them.
Sports organisers are being recruited to guide the process and legitimise sporting bodies that can benefit from the allocation of resources, including equipment. I am convinced therefore that this era is the best opportunity for Essequibo’s cricket to rise above the ashes of the past and become quite a formidable force in all formats of the game.
The historical achievement of the senior team must form as a catalyst for institutional, technical, practical and decisive changes that will transform the manner in which cricket is administered in Essequibo.
While I have been critical in the past, I am optimistic that the future remains blooming and I am prepared to bat again for the county; this time to ensure that Essequibo consistently win titles and having more players featuring in national and international colours.
It is still a long journey, but from what I have seen recently, it is obvious that our players are beginning to exhibit signs of resilience, character, self-belief and chemistry; ingredients that for too long were missing from the armory of the Cinderella County.
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