Guyana Cup 2012 by Greenheart Publications

Content

Welcome Note From President of the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association

Guyana Cup 2012 is Published by: ClassiMag Publications For the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) Publisher Vickram Singh

WELCOME

Editor Vickram Singh

HOW IT ALL STARTED

Assistant Editor Vanie Beepat

TEAM WORK WILL SEE US THROUGH

CWC UNSTOPPABLES

SNIPPETS

REGAL LOOKING TO FINISH 2012 ON A HIGH

TEAMS MADE US DO IT AGAIN THIS YEAR

SOFTBALL OFFERS MAJOR MARKETING OPPORTUNITY

t is my distinct pleasure to welcome all our overseas cricketers and visitors to this our second edition of the Guyana Softball Cup in this beautiful land of ours and which is being hosted by the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association. Last year, it was indeed a challenge for us to organize the competition, but with some hard work from our members, all of our aspirations were realized and as a result of that, you our overseas cricketers and guests, are here once again to compete in this exciting event. On behalf of the GFSCA, I would like to extend best wishes to all cricket clubs and associations and trust that all will enjoy the ‘On and Off’ field friendship and the hospitality the people of Guyana will be extending to you during your stay here and on your return to respective homes, you would have taken with you, some cherished moments. Thanks once again for visiting our shores to compete in this magnificent tournament and I hope you all have an enjoyable stay in this beautiful land of ours.

Advertising Sales Caramchand Rambarran Sachin Persaud Vanie Beepat Vickram Singh Design and Layout Vanie Beepat Contributing Writers Calvin Roberts Rawle Welch Ramesh Sunich Contributing Photography Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Ramesh Sunich Calvin Roberts Ricky Deonarine Bharat Seokumar ClassiMag Publications Suite # 6, 230 Aubrey Barker Road South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown. Tel: 646 – 4469 650 -7911 classimag@gmail.com © All Rights Reserved 2012

Stephen Naraine President Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association GUYANA CUP 2012 / 2

GUYANA CUP 2012 / 3

The Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association President

- Steve Narine

V.President - Rahaman Khan V.President - Ramesh Sunich V.President - Ricky Deonarain Treasurer - Mike Singh Secretary - Pethamber Maharaj Website: www.guyana-cricket.com E: guyanafloodlight@hotmail.com Local Teams Cotton Field Wild Oats. Smith’s X1 Memorex Celebrity Times Crabwood Creek Unstopables Karibe Boyz Farm X1 Wolf Warriors Demarara Speed Boat Regal Trophy Stall Over 40yrs............Masters. 20/20 Floodlights Floodlights B Regal Seniors Savage Bedi Ramjewan X1 Sucess Masters Parika Defenders Front Liners Cornila Ida Masters

How It All Started By Rawle Welch

rodded by the many pleas from teams in North America that usually participates in the Annual Florida Softball Tournament was the primary motive for the birth of the Guyana Softball Cup according to co-founder of the event Ricky Deonarine. Deonarine, who along with Lloyd Singh, DharamPersaud, Mike Singh and Rahaman Khan formed the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) in 1996 sat down recently and spoke with this magazine about the genesis of the Guyana Softball Cup. Regarded as the principal organizers of the event, the GFSCA has managed to develop a product that has become a major item on the Tourism agenda and is now responsible for a number of Guyanese and other nationals sojourn to Guyana to witness what has clearly become one of the best and biggest Softball Tournaments in the Hemisphere. Deonarine, in reflecting on the Guyana Cup said it is important to first give a brief history on the GFSCA and its origin, before commenting on the bigger event. “ I came from Berbice in 1996 where I had played the traditional form of cricket, but after watching fast bowlers such as Reon King deliver some thunderbolts to opposing batsmen I decided that I was too old to face up to those guys at the age of 32 and that forced me to retire from that form of the game. However, my love for the game was still strong so I decided to form a softball team and we participated

in many competitions at the then Guyana Softball ground (now Ministry of Education ground), before leading a team which included DharamPersaud and many other outstanding players to a tournament that was held on Orlando, Florida in 1999,” Deonarine disclosed. According to him, teams from other parts of the USA and Canada also participated in that competition and we made it to the final, before losing to a team led by former Guyana and West Indies batsman Faoud Bacchus, who skippered the Orlando team. After that initial participation, the Guyana team became a regular feature in the tournament and it was due to their consistent presence that calls were made urging them to organize a tournament as basically payback for their loyalty to the Florida Cup. Deonarine said at first there was a bit of trepidation because of the magnitude of planning that has to go into organizing such an event in addition to most of the members of the GFSCA being businessmen, it meant that they would have to spend a lot of time during the planning period away from their respective businesses and that was a difficult proposition at the time. Nevertheless, the petitions became incessant according to Deonarine and they finally acquiesced and the rest is history since the inaugural staging of the tournament last year.

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Eight teams from overseas participated last year and according to Deonarine, the tournament was so well received that even though it was not the intention of the GFSCA to host back to back competitions once again the calls for them to do so reverberated so loud that they had no choice, but to assent. “The tournament has grown in stature in every aspect with prize monies for both the Open and Masters Categories increasing significantly, while the number of teams entered has also swollen from 16 to 24 with five of those coming from overseas. Deonarine added that the demand by local teams wanting to participate in the 3-day competition has been so overwhelming that they had no choice, but to increase the number. The GFSCA is a non-profit organisation that does a lot of charitable work and donates its proceeds to charities and persons in need of assistance. Among those to benefit from the GFSCA’s philanthropy are the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, the Pakistan Flood Relief Fund, Mandirs, Demerara Cricket Club, Cycling and more recently Sports Journalist Sean Devers, while the continued promotion of the Softball format has also profited. The GFSCA are chiefly responsible for igniting interest in the Over-45 and Female categories in the sport.

“Team Work Will See Us Through once again” Says Wild Oats’ Skipper By Calvin Roberts

HEY were forced to compete in a qualification tournament before last year’s inaugural Guyana Softball Cup competition, where they held their heads up high, reached the finals and gained a spot in what can now be described as the second prominent softball tournament in Guyana. Now as they prepare to defend their title in the second annual Guyana Softball Cup, captain of Cotton Field Wild Oats Travis Simon believes his team has a golden opportunity to take home the bacon once again, as long as they face their opponents as a team. “When we played in the Guyana Softball Cup last year, we had to first compete in a qualification tournament that was run under the auspices of the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association

(GFSCA) under the Stag Beer/El Dorado sponsorship. We got to the final of that tournament, after defeating Trophy Stall and Regal, before we lost to Memorex, a defeat that did not deter us, as we made our point and got a place in the Guyana Softball Cup” stated Simon. The end result is known by now within the local softball fraternity, as Cotton Field Wild Oats played unbeaten to lift the top prize of US$2,000 and the beautiful trophy that accompanied it, a feat Simon described as memorable. “First of all, to play unbeaten in the tournament was a magnificent achievement, as we defeated Regal twice (preliminary and finals), while Memorex went under to us in the semifinal, a victory that was used to avenge our defeat to GUYANA CUP 2012 / 7

them in the qualification tournament. However, the joy that rang out from within our hearts when the championship trophy was handed over by Treasurer of the GFSCA Mike Singh, cannot be compared or measured at all, since it was an historic moment for the team and all Essequibians alike” posited Simon. He added, “The players were jubilant, as it was the first major tournament won by a softball team competing out of Essequibo and while we made it to the national semifinals of the inaugural Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company nationwide 10/10 tournament-which can be described as the local World Cup of softball in Guyana-, winning the Guyana Softball Cup, was fantastic. It was the first time we had gone to any competition with that kind of ball and

to come out on top over teams such as Regal, Memorex, Trophy Stall and even Wolf Warriors, spoke volumes for softball cricket in Essequibo, as it also showed the dedication and commitment of the players.” Looking ahead to this year’s edition of the tournament which has over US$7,500 in cash prizes for the various winners, Simon said they can repeat as champions despite the numerous hurdles placed before them, as long as they play as a team. “In anything that has more than one individual competing together, ‘Team Work’ is the key and for us, that’s the slogan which will be flashing across our eyes, as we head into this tournament.” “We have been training hard as a team with the aim of repeating as champions

and even though we lost our main batsman in Patrick Rooplall to the Regal XI, which can be described as a negative for us, we have a positive in that several new players have come on board with us and fill that gap adequately” said Simon. He took the time to mention a few, such as Ramesh Narine, RavindraParsram and NavendraMandholall who along with himself, makes up a formidable all round team, along with opener Munir Amin and Brian Persaud. “We know that all the teams will be coming hard at us, as we are the defending champion that’s why we have been training hard over the past three weeks, using the ball to get our touch and feelings in as quickly as possible. We are not taking anything, anyone or any team for granted, especially teams like GUYANA CUP 2012 / 8

Regal-who is one of the strongest in the country at the moment,-, Wolf Warriors and even Trophy Stall, as these three teams knows what it is like to win on the big stage.” He continued to state, “In fact, all the local teams are worthy contenders for our crown in this tournament but we are not going to enter this tournament as pushovers, lay down and accept whatever is thrown to us. We are the champions and our team is made up of youth and experience and as I said before, once we play as the team who had been preparing for this tournament, then at the end of the day, we will all have a joyful heart when we hoist the trophy overhead at the end of this year’s competition.”

CWC Unstoppables Looking To Make Impact On Debut

AVING reached the national finals of the inaugural Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) sponsored nationwide softball tournament in 2010, the Darshan ‘Popo’ Challitar led Crabwood Creek Unstoppables is looking to repeat that performance and go one step better, when they make their debut in this year’s second annual Guyana Softball Cup tournament. The 25 year old Challitar founded the club five years ago, around the same time he started playing the game and for the team, the joy they experienced at reaching the finals of a tournament that is being deemed the softball World Cup on local soil, was second to none. “Reaching the finals of the GT&T tournament was a big achievement for us. We defeated the more established teams such as Cotton Field Wild Oats and Port Mourant All Stars on our way there before losing to the eventual champions Trophy Stall. While it would have been fantastic for us to cart off the trophy, we were not disappointed at losing out to Trophy Stall, since they were the better team on that

By Calvin Roberts day, whilst at the same time, we never expected to reach that far, since our team was made up of several players who never got such exposure before.” According to the soft spoken Challitar, CWC Unstoppables is looking to leave a lasting impression on the GSC 2, especially knowing they are entering as debutants, with nothing to lose but much to gain, in terms of added experience and exposure. He said his team has been hard at preparing for the GSC 2, practicing at least five times per week, as they intend to leave no stones unturned in their bid to finish with the top podium spot. “We are playing good cricket and even though we have not played much cricket with the type of ball that will be used in this tournament, we are confident that we will win this tournament, as we aim to do so from the first ball to the last one. When that is accomplished, we will be dedicating our victory to the people of our community who has been giving us their support and well wishes every time they pass by while we are at practice” said Challitar. He readily admitted that they will be GUYANA CUP 2012 / 10

entering the GSC 2 as unknowns, taking into consideration the amount of competitions they have participated in, in comparison to some other teams who have been seeing cricket action almost every weekend, but was not distracted by such. “We know we are the unknowns in this tournament and that’s why we are looking to spring surprises on all our opponents and take the title and when that is done, our team’s name will be on the lips of almost every softball player in Guyana.” While listing himself as a die hard player of the team, Challitar said other players such as the Garnett connections in Tony, Joshua and Alfred Garnett along with VinodNandkishore are some of the players who will be tasked with taking CWC Unstoppables to the championship trophy of the GSC 2. “We are Crabwood Creek Unstoppables and we will be playing like an unstoppable force, on our way to taking the Guyana Softball Cup championship trophy back to Crabwood Creek at the end of the tournament.”

Steve’s Jewellery Provides Bracelets

S Proprietor of Steve’s Jewellery, Steve Narine (right), presents MVP bracelets to Patrick Rooplall (left - Open Category) and Marlo Malone (Masters Category) at the conclusion of the Guyana Cup

TEVE’S JEWELERY, one of the few jewellery stores that is certified by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards, is doing it again for “Guyana Softball Cup 2”, to be held on 2nd, 3rd and 4th November, 2012. Steve’s Jewelry is providing Men Gold Bracelets for Player of the Series in each International Softball tournament - the Guyana Softball Cup Open and Guyana Softball Cup Masters. Each bracelet will be 10 pennyweight, 14 carat gold, and each will cost Guy$150,000 (US$750), for a total cost of G$300,000 (US$1,500). All for the good of Softball Cricket. This was done last year and will continue to be an annual reward for the winners.

Bedi Ramjewan Honoured At Guyana Softball Cup

o honour his love and dedication for softball cricket, the Man-of-the-Match trophy for the final of the Guyana Master Cup 20/20 is named after the late Bedi Ramjewan. He was a dedicated member of the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) and toured with them twice to participate in the Florida Cup. He died on April 27, 2011, just 40 years old.

Prominent Players form U.S.A Teams

ric Ferrier is President of NYSCL (New York Softball Cricket Legue), a vibrant leader and according to GFSCA , he is the leading when it comes to Softball leadership in North America. Last year he was responsible to bring 2 teams to Guyana, and again in 2012, he is bringing 2 teams to represent his organisation.

obby Pahalad is the leading fast bowler in North America, he was here in 2011 representing NYSCL ALL STARS,could not reach the semi-finals, and is back in 2012 for some vengence.

Eric Ferrier

Bobby Pahalad

Each Participant Will be Given a Medal hanks to the kind and thoughtful sponsors, apart from winners walking away with trophies, monies and gold jewelley, each participant will be honored for with a medal for their efforts.

Approximately 350 of these medals will be given away on the Final day of GFSA’s tournaments, Nov 4th 2012.

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looking to do a double, by taking the Open and Over-40 titles respectively.” Reflecting on the Over-40 lineup, Hardyal believes it’s a well-balanced side that has been undergoing a rigorous training session for the past month or so, in preparation for the Guyana Cup. “Three (3) times a week, the Over40 team would be engaged in practice sessions with the big ball, doing batting, bowling, catching and fielding and I think that that in itself, is a plus for us since it gives us a head start over the other teams, whom we know will be looking to dethrone us” said Hardyal. Quizzed on whom he feels will provide the Over-40 lineup with strong opposition, Hardyal said none since all the teams are locally based and have been divided with players from some teams going and represent other teams, hence no one is a threat.

Regal Looking To Finish 2012 On A High

AVING carted off this year’s top prize in the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) sponsored nationwide 10/10 softball tournament, coupled with other tournament wins for 2012, Regal XI is looking to finish the year on a high. This is according to the team’s founder member MahendraHardyal, who took time out from his busy schedule to respond to questions as it relates to his team and their chances in this year’s Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association second annual Guyana Cup. According to Hardyal, the team which lost out in the Georgetown zone finals of the 2010 GT&T tournament to eventual winners Trophy Stall, and in the semifinals

By Calvin Roberts at the National Stadium of the 2011 edition to Wolf Warriors, who went onto cart off the title, used last year’s runner up finish in the Guyana Cup as the eye opener. “When we lost in the Open finals of last year’s Guyana Cup to Cotton Field Wild Oats of Essequibo, we made adjustments to our team which included recruiting fresh players as we approached 2012 with a fresh start in mind. This resulted in Patrick Rooplall, who batted us out of the top podium finish in the first Guyana Cup, joining forces with us, a move that has enabled us to reap success, as we won the GT&T tournament, the Berbice Softball Board inauguration tournament and many other tournaments around Georgetown” said Hardyal. GUYANA CUP 2012 / 14

Hardyal believes also that the success of the Over-40 team who defeated the East Coast based Savage in the final of the said Guyana Cup, served as an inspiration to the Open team to do better this year, which resulted in Rooplall scoring over 600 runs in the GT&T tournament. “There is no doubt, the Open team got a tinge of jealousy, when they saw the Over40 lift the championship trophy in last year’s Guyana Cup, decided to make this year a success story in softball cricket. We started by targeting the tournaments we want to win and worked towards that goal, taking it one match at a time, beginning with the smaller tournaments, followed by the GT&T tournament and now the Guyana Cup in which we are

“We are the biggest threat to ourselves. The way how we are playing right now, I don’t see an Over-40 team defeating us, only we can beat ourselves and with the hunger within both the Over-40 and Open teams, I don’t see that occurring anytime soon. We need to let the local softball fraternity know that the Regal Over-40 team is the champions of the Guyana Cup and if they wish to take that away from us, then they have to better us on the day. This year is a very productive one for us and we wish to end it on a high, to give us a chance to start 2013 on a much more positive mode. I am pretty confident that we can go one step better and complete the double in this year’s Guyana Cup. Just look at the progress we made in the GT&T tournament and that will give you the picture. We lost in the zone finals and then the national semifinals for the first two tournaments,

before we took the third” posited Hardyal. He identified players in the caliber of the hard hitting Lance Adams, Mahesh Chunilall, Troy Kippins, Raymond Harper, MahendraArjune and himself as the tower of strength within the Over-40 lineup, while Rooplall, Richard Latiff, Troy Kippins, ChienGittens, brothers Wasim and Khalid Haslim, Krishna Balgobin, PritviMotilall and Mohammed Ayume, will lead the Open team’s challenge. Certainly with the high level of confidence being exhumed from Hardyal, the Regal XI which will contest both the Over-40 and Open categories of the second annual Guyana Cup can be a threat to their opponents, as they seek to vindicate Hardyal’s desire to finish 2012 on a high.

Teams Made Us Do It Again This Year

INCE 2009, two teams from the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) have been journeying to the United States of America to compete in the Florida Cup, followed immediately by a trip to Canada before returning home. It was during one of those trips (the team did not go in 2001, due to the 9/11 disaster), that they were asked by representatives of several teams, when will there be a Guyana Cup, hence the tournament was conceptualized in 2011 and commenced with two categories of teams and the thought of making it a biennial one. According to vice president of GFSCA Ricky Deonarine, sixteen (16) teams- eight in each category, namely Over-40 Masters and Open category respectively and divided into four groups of four, registered to do battle for supremacy in the inaugural tournament. “We started last year with 16 teams playing a combined total of 30 matches at five different venues, ranging from the Everest Cricket Club ground on Camp Road, to the Georgetown Cricket Club ground on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive. The public’s response was great last year, making the tournament the success story it was and along with that from the teams, especially those who came from overseas, moved us to do it again this year, without hesitation” said Deonarine. According to the GFSCA website, Regal Masters defeated Savage Masters by 51 runs in the Over-40 final, with the victors scoring 176/7 in their allotted 20 overs, with JagaBhoj (35), MahendraHardyn (33) and Troy Kippins (32 not out) being the main scorers. Bowling for Savage Masters, VivakanandRamsaywak and Anil Rambarran claimed 2-32 and 3-26 respectively, but their team fell short scoring 125/6 in 20 overs, with Manjor Malone playing a lone hand with an innings of 64. Over in the Open final, the Essequibo based Cotton Field Wild Oats (CFWO)

By Calvin Roberts overcame Georgetown’s Regal XI by 7 wickets. Taking first strike Regal XI reached 132/8 in 20 overs with Richard Latiff being the main scorer with 35. NavindraMadholall had the best bowling for CFWO with 3-21 from 4 overs, before the eventual champions who were in hot pursuit of their target, got there with 3 overs to spare scoring 133/3, with Patrick Rooplall (59) and Fazeer Khan (36) leading the charge. The prize for the Open and Masters Twenty20 Cup were US$3000 and US$2000 respectively along with trophies from Trophy Stall. In both finals, Patrick Rooplall and Anil Rambarran were given the Manof-the-Match trophy compliments of Wellman and a 14k gold bracelet from Steve’s Jewellery. Looking back at the final day of action last year, Deonarine said heavy rainfall which started the night before, placed a damper on the proceedings, but with hard work, the GFSCA were able to give the spectators who thronged the Everest Cricket Club ground, the venue for the final, a fabulous show of softball cricket, like never before seen in Guyana.

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He added, “No one would have thought that cricket would have been played, when they turned up at the venue last year. We had tents set up around the ground and one of them was blown out of it and wrapped around a lamp post. However, we persevere and with the aid of some of the teams, were able to get the ground in an acceptable playing condition and the finals were held, much to the delight of those who were gathered there.” Deonarine said the response from the sponsors at the end of last year’s tournament was overwhelming as well, as they all expressed satisfaction about the way the tournament was organized. “They came back on board with the GFSCA this year without hesitation, and with increased sponsorship, while we got three new sponsors in Rohan Auto Spares, Nauth Motor Spares and Top Brands, to which the GFSCA says thanks from the depths of our heart.” He continued to state, “We aim to and expect this year’s tournament to be much bigger and better than last year’s. We will be having 14 more matches (42 in total)

for this year’s tournament being played at seven different venues across Georgetown. And unlike last year when we played two matches at once on Everest, this year we are able to play three at that venue and at the Demerara Cricket Club ground, where we played one match during last year’s tournament, we are now able to play two, so that tells you the magnitude the tournament has reached.” Deonarine is an ardent lover of softball cricket and with that in mind, he was not hesitant to throw his support logistically

and financially through his company, into the Guyana Softball Cup, which he hopes one day will attract more foreign teams from Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and to an extent, Antigua, who had confirmed their participation, only to realize the game is being played underhand and not overhand. Along with the three new sponsors mentioned above, the other sponsors for the tournament are Digicel, Steve’s Jewelry, Trophy Stall, Mike’s Pharmacy, Clear Waters, Busta Soft Drink, Survival,

Bel Air Texaco and Ray’s Auto Sales, with Steve’s Jewelry providing the outstanding players from each category, with one bracelet. Both Rooplall (Open category) and Malone in the Over-40 Master’s category, walked away with the bracelets last year and with Rooplall turning up for Regal XI in this year’s tournament, he can very well become the first man to win back to back championship trophies and bracelets in the Guyana Softball Cup.

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HIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of Trophy Stall Ramesh Sunich believes that the progress of softball will offer marketing opportunities for local businesses, during a question and answer segment leading up to the second annual Guyana Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) Guyana Cup tournament. Below is that interview:

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149 Crown Street, Queenstown, Georgetown Tel: 227-7757 / 227-7752 Email:impressionsgy@live.com \ Website: www.impressionsgy.com

Interviewer - How important is sponsorship towards the tournament? Sunich- As with all sports, sponsorship is vital, especially to motivate the organizers and reward those participating. Interviewer- What prompted organization to get on board?

your

By Calvin Roberts Sunich- Trophy stall is supportive of all sporting events in Guyana and has a track record of offering assistance to sporting competitions. We are on board the Guyana Cup 2 because we believe that it is an important competition that is still in its infancy and needs to be encouraged. At the same time, Trophy Stall has branded teams in the past which have won major competitions in both women and men softball. As such we are already involved as both sponsors and participants. Interviewer- Do you believe the Guyana Cup is getting bigger and better and if so what are the main reasons for its growth? Sunich- The Guyana Cup will grow because softball is one of the fastest growing sports in Guyana with hundreds of teams and tens of thousands of enthusiastic GUYANA CUP 2012 / 19

supporters. There is therefore the mass participation and support for softball and a major competition like the Guyana Cup will enjoy widespread popularity. Interviewer- We know that softball cricket in Guyana can be described as being conceptualized here. So should it enjoy more support from the corporate community and even government by extension? Sunich- Softball offers major marketing opportunity for businesses. From a business perspective therefore it makes good sense for corporate sponsors to come on board. The support of the Government in improving infrastructure can help to expand the game and help it to equal popularity of mainstream hardball cricket.

Interviewer- Do you see it being extended to involve more countries in the near future? Sunich- Softball cricket is already popular in the diaspora. Foreign teams have toured Guyana and Guyanese teams have toured internationally. It is only a matter of time before regional softball competition becomes a reality. Interviewer- Should it therefore be developed as a product that the Tourism Ministry could now help promote just as

they do with motor racing? Sunich- Softball cricket is already well organized locally and what is needed is more competitions catering for the large number of softball teams that exist locally. The focus should be on bigger competitions involving more teams. Interviewer- Depending on your individual companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance financially are you willing to do more to ensure that the tournament becomes more attractive for more foreign participation in the near future?

Sunich- Yes Interviewer- How do you see the game developing as it goes forward? Sunich- It is necessary for the Guyana Softball Association to be strengthened administratively if the game is to be expanded and improved. Once there is a strong administration in place, then better competitions can be organized and this will take the game to new heights.