The National U-17 team on Wednesday last commenced preparations for the upcoming Regional Under-17 tournament which will be held in Tobago from July 6-16. The 18-man squad, minus several players who are currently sitting the CSEC examinations are encamped at the Guyana Cricket Board hostel, La Bonne Intention under Coach Garvin Need and Manager, Nazeer Mohamed.
Adrian Sukwah prepares to receive a ball in nets
Guyana won the Under-15 and 19 3-day and one-day titles in 2014 but is yet to win an Under-17 crown. However, Nedd has expressed confidence his team can go all the way this year. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport, the former Guyana off-spinner said that his team’s participation in the recent GCB Inter-County Undr-19 tournament serves as a plus for the players.
“I must commend the GCB, the U19 tournament provided the players with stern competition which helps them to know where they are. It also gave me a better opportunity to look at them and I am happy with composition of the team,” he added.
Pacer Joshua Jones in action
Nedd stated that they are currently using the LBI indoor facility to work on some technical aspects. “We are hoping to get the use of the National Stadium to fine tune our preparations,” he said adding that he hopes the weather improves.
He believes the batting is in safe hands with the likes of Raymond Perez, Adrian Sukwah, Ramnarine Chatura and Ronaldo Mohamed, but there is still some work to be done. “Building partnerships and rotating the strike are some keys areas, so we hope the weather improves so we can practice and execute. A lot of emphasis will also be placed on fielding since this has let them down in past tournaments,” he lamented.
He thanked the GCB for another opportunity to coach the team stating that he looks forward to a successful tournament and he will continue to build players at the grassroots level.
Manger Mohamed like Nedd is optimistic of Guyana’s chances. He said that six players have returned from last year’s team and six have joined from the victorious Under-15 team. Mohamed informed that team spirit is good and players are eager to display their talent. “We have a well balanced team and as long as they play as a unit we will be hard to beat.”
Mohamed feels they have the resources to excel on the pitches in Tobago where the ball tends to come on a bit faster. Last year Guyana’s Sherfene Rutherford copped the Most Valuable Player award the most fast bowling bonus points.
The 18-man squad reads; Bhaskar Yadram, Ramnarine Chatura, Ronaldo Mohamed, Raymond Perez, Ashmead Nedd, Timonthy Mc Almont, Sagar Hathiramani, Adrian Sukwah, Steve Deonarine, Asif Ally, Richie Looknauth, Sylus Tyndall, Joshua Persaud, Kevin Sinclair, Joshua Jones, Gavin Boodwah, Tameshwar Motiram and Romain Muniram.
(Taken from Kaieteur News)