Galaxy of past, present stars to mark UG’s 40th anniversary
By Sean Devers
Stabroek News
November 1, 2003

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A number of past and present test players will don their whites at Bourda tomorrow as a UWI/ UG XI take on a Select XI captained by former West Indies off-spinner Roger Harper in a feature 40-overs-a-side cricket match to mark the launching of ‘Reunion week’ as the University of Guyana celebrates its 40th anniversary.

The UWI/ UG team will include former Barbados and West Indies test opener Phillo Wallace, who captained UWI in this year’s Red Stripe Bowl regional one-day cricket competition and will be captained by Pooran Mangru, one of the two non-academic staff members of UG on the side.

Former West Indies middle order batsman Carlise Best, a UWI graduate is also in the UWI/UG line-up which includes test fast bowler Colin Stuart and former Guyana under-15 leg-spinner Abdel Fudadin who are both now full time students at UG.

Everest left-hander Raymond Singh, who attended the trials in Trinidad to select the Red Stripe Bowl squad and Ramnarine Chattergoon, who attends the UG branch in Tain, Berbice, are also scheduled to participate in the match.

Mark Kirton and Patrick Williams will represent the academic staff of UG in the feature game which starts at 10am.

The UWI/ UG team is made up of members of the UG student body and two players each from the academic and non-academic staff in addition to Wallace and Marvin Forde from the Cave Hill campus in Barbados and former student Best.

The Select XI boasts the likes of Harper, his former Guyana and West Indies team mate Clyde Butts, ex-test seam bowler Bernard Julian, Jamaican Gareth Breeze, former West Indies opener and present selector Gordon Greenidge, former Guyana wicket-keeper batsman Neil Barry, Guyana wicket-keeper Vishal Nagamootoo, Pres-ident of the Demerara Cricket Board and ex-division one player Paul Chan-a-Sue, former Guyana under-19 off-spinner and CMC radio commentator Sean Devers and ex-Guyana national player Lloyd Harper and Guyana under-19 leg spinner George Norton.

Vic Insanally, a member of UG’s 40th anniversary committee, said that the match is the biggest event of UG’s reunion week which commences tomorrow and the intention of the game is the get the past and present students of UG, which was founded in 1963, together.

Admission is just $300 and Minister responsible for Youth Sports and Culture, Gail Teixeira will meet the teams before the start of the game while the Vice-Chancellor of UG is expected to bowl the first ball to start the game.

Paulette Paul, chairperson of UG’s 40th anniversary committee and Kirton were present at a press briefing on Wednesday at Guyenterprise Ltd. in Georgetown.

A number of activities including a church service and an awards ceremony are scheduled during the week of activities. Insanally disclosed that it is hoped that the cricket match will be an annual event. He also informed that Caribbean Star Airlines, GT&T and the Guyana Pegasus were among the major sponsors of the event and added that the overseas players are expected in Guyana today.

There will be prizes for the Man-of-the Match, the bowler with the most wickets and the batsman with the most runs.