Female cricketers depart for Regional championships By Sean Devers
Stabroek News
July 3, 2002
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The four Guyanese on the West Indies President's X1 Under-23 cricket team departed Guyana yesterday afternoon for Trinidad where they will join the rest of the West Indies under-23 female cricket team to participate in the first ever regional under-23 female cricket competition.

The President's XI, which will be led and coached by Guyanese Indomatie Goordyal and Ava Baker respectively, also includes locals Triholder Marshall, Anabelle Lewis and Tracy Glasgow.

Goordyal, a 16-year-old right-handed opening batter, hails from the village of Unity on the East Coast of Demerara and attends the Bygeval Secondary school.

She was a member of Guyana's 2001 national women's team which participated in the West Indies women's senior cricket tournament in St Vincent last year.

She also played for a representative West Indies Under-23 side against a touring English team in Trinidad. Marshall, a 15-year-old right handed batter who bowls medium pace, lives at Vigilance on the East Coast of Demerara. She also represented Guyana in St Vincent and was a member of the West Indies under-23 team.

Fifteen year old Lewis is an off-spin bowler and plays for the Tucber Park female and male youth teams in Berbice. She attends the New Amsterdam Multilateral school and this is her first overseas trip after failing to get into the national women's team last year.

Glasgow is a 21-year-old medium pacer from Goed Intent West Bank Demerara. She plays for the Malteenoes Sports Club's female team and this is her first trip outside Guyana.

Trinidad bound! The Guyana female cricketers just prior to their departure for the inaugural West Indies under-23 championships. From left, Annabelle Lewis, Tracy Glasgow, Triholder Marshall, Indomattie Goordyal (captain) and coach Ava Baker.

The 50-overs per side competition commences on Thursday 4th July and concludes on Sunday July 7.

St. Lucia, St Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago and the Presidents X1 are the teams participating after Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada and Guyana pulled out of the competition forcing the organizers to name a President's X1 side to make four teams in the competition.

According to the President of the Guyana Women's cricket Association Emily Dodson, Guyana pulled out of the competition due to lack of finance.

Dodson said the West Indies Women's Cricket Federation requested the three Guyanese on the last West Indies under-23 team but Dewantie Persaud, who along with Goordyal and Marshall gained selection on the West Indies Under-23 women's team last year, has not been playing cricket since that competition last August and was not selected. Lewis and Glasgow were picked after impressive performances in the Dolly Lookanan Memorial competition last year and the female club tournament this year. The competition will be played with white five ounce balls, black sight screens and coloured cloths and will lead up to the senior West Indies women's competition slated for Guyana from August 18 to September 2.

Skipper Goordyal said even though she has never seen most of the players she does not think that should cause too much of a problem since the girls will have a practice session before the first match against St. Vincent at the Clark Road ground on July 4.

This is Goordyal's second trip to play cricket on Trinidad soil and she is confident of doing well and leading her team to championship honors.

Coach Baker it feels good to be named coach of a regional team and is also confident of her team doing well.

"I don't know what the other girls are doing but I am pleased with the preparation put in by our girls who practised with the national under-19 boys cricket team currently preparing to go to Jamaica for the regional Under-19 competition' Baker said. The girls were asked to stand the cost of their air tickets.

Glasgow was sponsored by her club while LRTV, J's Supermarket, Mickey's Super-market, Paapi Supermarket, Glow International hotel, Ocean View Hotel and Roy Bajnauth, the President of the Berbice Cricket Board offered sponsorship for Glasgow.