Leg-spinners’ night at GCB awards

– Chetram Singh to bow out of cricket administration

By Avenash Ramzan 

It was the night of the leg-spinners as two of the country’s finest young slow bowlers carted off the major awards on offer at the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Annual Awards Ceremony, at the Umana Yana on Wednesday, December15th. 

Berbician Devendra Bishoo, who earlier this year was given a developmental contract by the West Indies Cricket Board, (WICB), carted off the Cricketer-of-the-Year award and the Regional Cricketer-of-the-Year prize.

Talented teenager Amir Khan of Demerara lifted the Roy Fredericks Trophy for Junior Cricketer of the Year, and was voted Most Valuable Player for Guyana at the TCL Regional Under-19 competition, after bagging 27 wickets. The 25-year-old Bishoo has enjoyed a tremendously successful year. He was the linchpin of Guyana’s bowling attack at the regional level, as he delivered with accuracy and success in the

First-Class competition. He was also voted Most Valuable Player of the inaugural Caribbean T20 tournament. Bishoo was a member of the West Indies ‘A’ team, and was instrumental in helping Berbice retain their hold on all the inter-county titles. Khan, on the other hand, was exceptional with the ball in his first year as an Under-19 representative for Guyana. He was the leading wicket taker in the TCL competition this year. The former West Indies Under-15 leg spinner also represented Demerara with success on his debut inter-county season. 

Several outstanding cricketers were rewarded for their efforts over the past 12 months, while a number of corporate entities were recognised for their contribution to cricket through sponsorship. The Guyana National Team that won the inaugural Caribbean T20 competition and subsequently represented the Caribbean in the Airtel Champions League T20 in South Africa was also given a special award. 

While the players, officials and sponsors were basking in the glory of their recognition, president of the Guyana Cricket Board, Chetram Singh, took the opportunity to announce that he will be stepping down from the post and will not be seeking re-election to any position at the upcoming elections in January. Singh has been involved in cricket administration for the past 25 years, and has been at the helm of the GCB since 1991. 

While admitting that 2010 was “the most controversial in the history of the GCB,” Singh acknowledged that there were “some shining stars,” making specific reference to Guyana winning the Caribbean T20 and the construction of the Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence at La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara. 

Singh, who is a WICB director, reported that the 2010 calendar of cricket was severely affected by rain, but stated the country was able to successfully host matches in the T20 World Cup, as well as two ODI matches between West Indies and Zimbabwe. 

In his remarks, Sport Minister Dr. Frank Anthony suggested that the GCB create an elite programme where cricketers from across the Caribbean can visit these shores to ply their trade, rather than have Guyanese players venture abroad to sharpen their skills. 

“Put that programme together; make it a flagship programme. We need that kind of vision to take us into the 21st century. Let’s take a page from the developed world and do what they’re doing. Let’s start thinking about the science of sport,” Dr. Anthony challenged the GCB. 

During his feature address, Guyana Olympic Association President K.A. Juman Yassin told the gathering, which included former Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Cecil Kennard, current and former players and special invitees, that the game has changed significantly over the years. 

He said gone are the days when the heckling was good natured, standards were high, and spectators were turning out in their thousands to view games. Yassin told the players to work towards bettering the efforts of their predecessors, while he called on the GCB to get more former players involved in the development of the game. 

Director of Sport Neil Kumar, who chose to speak on Singh’s decision to quit the post, said “mere words cannot do justice to the great job” the GCB head has done over the two decades. 

 Kumar reflected on Singh’s tenure and reminded the audience that during that time Guyana was able to win an unprecedented six consecutive regional Under19 titles, produce three Test captains, construct a state of-the-art stadium and an indoor facility, among other achievements.