The 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) generated a huge economic impact for Guyana as the country hosted the finals for the very first time as part of the newly created Cricket Carnival.

The total economic impact for Guyana in 2022 was S$84,425,587, a 186 per cent increase on the figure from the last time the country hosted Hero CPL matches in 2019.

The vision of His Excellency Irfaan Ali in showcasing the country’s many creative and social attributes whilst making the country the entertainment capital of the region for two weeks in September, led to the most successful hosting of any CPL finals.

Businesses across the country benefited from the significant uplift of in-bound tourism during September last year, as people travelled to be part of the Biggest Party in Sport. The fans certainly didn’t disappoint with almost 50,000 attending the playoff games alone.

With CPL spending more time in Guyana than previous years along with the change to the tournament structure where all six teams, TV production crew and tournament staff travelled as one cohort CPL’s direct spend increased significantly, with one metric showing a total of 25,783 hotel room nights filled across the tournament, a 236 per cent increase on the figure from 2019.

This report was generated by independent, world-renowned research company, YouGov Sport, with the make-up of the values including the total spent by Hero CPL to put on the 2022 event, the value of media exposure for the country from the broadcast of matches and the money spent with local business by those who travelled into Guyana for the tournament.

The total viewership for the 2022 Hero CPL also smashed all records as it increased to 721.8million. This is the third successive year that the tournament has generated a viewership figure of over half a billion.

“The reception for the Hero CPL in Guyana last year exceeded anything we have seen before, and we are hugely grateful for the vision of His Excellency Irfaan Ali, who masterminded the Cricket Carnival concept and showed how cricket can deliver significant economic value when planned alongside other entertainment initiatives,” said Pete Russell, Hero CPL CEO.

“We are so grateful for the amazing support we continue to receive in Guyana and are thankful that we have been able to repay the country with these fantastic numbers. We can’t wait to make an even bigger impact in 2023."

Guyana is set to build a new squash facility to enhance the country’s ability to host future international tournaments.

The new facility, which will also have doubles courts for the first time in the country's history, will be built at the National Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue in Georgetown and is funded by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport at the approximate cost of G$65 million, and should be ready for usage within six to eight months.

Minister Charles Ramson Jr. made this announcement on Saturday and members of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) and national players welcomed it with cheers after he further indicated that construction is to commence on January 9.

In detailing some of the plans, the minister revealed the building would cost approximately G$25M while the internal fittings for the courts are about G$40M.

To fast-track the process, the plan is to begin the installation of equipment at an appropriate point during construction so as not to wait until the building is finished to commence inputting the internal fittings.

Noting it is a joint effort between the National Sports Commission (NSC) and GSA, the minister firmly believes the completion of this facility will place Guyana in good standing to host Central American and Caribbean (CAC), and Pan American Championships in the near future.

“Once it is completed, we will be able to put our bids in of hosting senior games, and all of the sports we have identified as core sports, for which squash is one of them, we are looking to have the larger Championships being held here,” Ramson Jr. told the gathering.

According to Ramson Jr., the aim is to host the Senior Pan American Championships which would be a “big achievement” for Guyana and it will increase the competitive pool.

“It is important we set our targets early about what we want to do and take all of the sports and sports in general,” he lamented.

There is also the “unquantifiable factor” of inspiring the next generation to represent Guyana by being able to see top-level athletes compete in Guyana, and ideally, create a winning culture.

Additionally, Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, who had touted the construction of the courts in July as Guyana prepared to host the Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Championships, noted its importance that infrastructural development is vital to support the developing Sport Academies.

“This shows that we are doing exactly what we said we would do. I know we are speaking about squash but other disciplines will be able to have this sort of support from the government,” Ninvalle expressed.

Owen Verwey, GSA President, expressed similar by stating, “I am very much impressed that we have moved from the stage of speaking to now seeing implementation in a real form, that does not always happen but where we are going with the reality, is going to take us to a much higher level.”

Adorning that Guyana’s squash has done tremendously well within the Caribbean, this facility will help them make an impact at the international level, and it boosts their capacity to do more intense training.

Meanwhile, the minister said the works on the tennis court will soon be completed and construction will continue on the home for badminton and table tennis, with the foundation already being laid.

The National Racquet Centre opened in November 2011.

Guyana Under-13 boys went down to Trinidad and Tobago under-13 by nine wickets in the opening encounter of the Bilateral/Goodwill series on Sunday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.  

T&T restricted Guyana to just 43 in 26.4 overs after winning the toss and choosing to field. T&T bowling was led by Shaan Ramtahal, who finished with figures of 3 for 7 off 1.4 overs. Tyler Ramroop ended with figures of 2-5 off 5 miserly overs, Brian Harricharan took 2-6 off 3 overs, while Mikaeel Ali, Ra ed Ali Khan and Jordan Julien had a wicket each.

A revised target of 38 was set due to rain stoppage, and T&T reached the total in 10 overs with the loss of only one wicket. The wicket to fall was Captain and opening batsman Zakarriya Mohamed who stroked an entertaining 23 off just 27 balls. Guyana Captain Brandon Henry dismissed his counterpart with the score on 32.

The series includes four (4) One-Day, 40-Overs matches. Sunday’s game marks the first-ever first Bilateral Under-13 tour to Guyana, initiated by the two board presidents, Bissoondyal Singh (GCB) and Azim Bassarath (TTCB). The three (3) remaining matches will also be played at the Providence stadium on December 13, 15 and 17.

Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are to participate on a bilateral regional U13 cricket tournament set to run from December 10-17, 2022, the Guyana Cricket Board has announced.

According to the GCB, the tournament to be held in Guyana complements Cricket West Indies’ plans of two-year incremental development programs.

Consequently, it is expected that the Under-13 players will be adequately exposed to competitive cricket which is hoped will facilitate their growth and development for future GCB’s two-year incremental development programs such as the National Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19 training programmes.

The GCB has established structured cricket development programmes for their Under-11, Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, and Senior levels.

The Under-11s are being prepared through the Republic Bank Five for Fun Cricket Development programme.

Additionally, the GCB and Republic Bank are in the planning stages of initiating a national Under-23 Inter-Club Tournament.

President of the GCB Bissoondyal Singh expressed delight at being able to positively engage the President of the TTCB Azim Bassarath.

“Both territorial boards are keen on exposing our future professional cricketers at an early age to the highest competitive standards possible. We recognize the need for children to develop their art, bowling, batting, and fielding in a fun-related manner,” he said.

“However, we strongly believe that players in the Under-13 age group can begin to challenge their minds a bit more than is currently being done. Learning cricket techniques is good but executing the respective skills in competitive environments will set the players on a greater path to success.”

President Singh added that the U13 initiative paves the way for a regional Under-13 tournament.

“We believe in promoting the training aspects of cricket so that players can inculcate the recommended practices for the game as well as a person,” he said.

“Our planned cricket academy which will cater to the needs of players ages seven to 17, is geared at making our players rounded cricketers. In addition to technical and skill development, our academy focuses on areas of cricket laws, scoring, match referee and umpire duties and etiquette including personal communication, interviewing as a priority activity, and psychology.”

Following the ICC Hall of Fame announcement on November 8, 2022, open letters have been written to the inductees by those close to them, with their reactions to the news.

Here, Jimmy Adams writes to Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

To Shiv,

It was nearly three decades ago that I got to share a room with a 19-year-old from Guyana who I am proud to say became a great batting partner, roommate, friend, and now ICC Hall of Fame member.

I am thrilled that you are getting the recognition for everything you did for cricket in the West Indies and globally. I am not sure I ever met someone who worked harder at their craft, and it is testament to that work and sacrifice that even as the team’s fortunes met challenges, you got better and better.

I still remember the first time I heard your name. We were told about this young kid from Guyana, thin as a pencil, not the strongest but who nobody could get out.

When they picked you as a teenager for that Test in England in 1994, it raised eyebrows, my own included. I had never seen you play and there was a sense that you had jumped the queue. Two decades and more than 10,000 Test runs later, it is fair to say, the selectors got it right on that occasion.

We were roommates for most of my career from that tour onwards and as well as the trust that developed over that time, it’s fair to say you taught me a lot both about cricket as well as life in general.

I think the biggest lesson is that there are no excuses. I look at how you got to the top and stayed there for as long as you did despite all the challenges you faced. You are a symbol to kids from difficult backgrounds that anything, including greatness, is possible. I’ve spoken to many youngsters who held you up as a role model and who believed that “If Shiv could do it, I can do it.”

I hold you up as the example of what can be - the possibilities that exist. You opened my mind up to the fact that if you get a young kid who is willing and tries, never ever put a ceiling on him/her. We all knew you were talented, but if you had said 10,000 Test runs over 20 years...!!!! That happened because you adapted and kept adapting and kept working. If you ran into an obstacle, you would seek help and would grow. No one gave you that attitude, its something you brought with you wherever you went. Watching you grow and evolve over the past 30 years has cemented some of my own life philosophies on who, when and where to invest my own time and energies. Again, I am truly grateful for these lessons.

Your numbers are outrageous, and lots of people will focus on them. But what resonates with me is just how much it took me firstly to get to the international stage and secondly how much it needed for me to hang around for 10 years. You did it for 20!!! The effort and the sacrifice just boggle my mind!

It is hard to quantify just how great your legacy is. You started in a winning team, and along with Brian Lara, as the team became less formidable, your personal contributions got greater and greater. It was a reminder that you can even rise above the fortunes of any group if you work hard enough. It is easy to ride on the bandwagon of a successful team, but you were able to set impossibly high standards and maintain them even as the rest of the team struggled.

It was amazing watching, not only your cricket maturing, but you as a person. From a shy, introverted teenager, you grew into someone who would go on to become captain of the team. Where many others have chosen to hide deficiencies and flaws behind their on-field success, you from a very young age, confronted yours and invested the time in your personal development. Watching this transformation from close-up was truly inspirational.

You had so many truly memorable knocks over the years that I might struggle to say which one, for me, stands shoulders above the rest. However, the greatest standout for me is simply the fact that you “sat at the table” for 20 years!!

Having said that, if I have to pick out one, it is impossible not to mention the 69-ball hundred against Australia at your home ground in Guyana. I was not in the team by that point but watched all of it from a studio in the UK. The innings resonates with me simply because it was proof to me that there was far more to you and your game than the world, and maybe even you, gave yourself credit for.

I stand in awe of what you did over 20 years of international cricket. People will never understand how difficult it is. As a batting partner, you made it easier for all of us. For me, knowing that I had a rock at the other end just took away a lot of the pressure and allowed me to focus totally on my own game. I'm sure many others who had the opportunity to bat with you will say the same.

I hope this award justifies to you the value of the sacrifices you made from day one. And I know this award is not just for you. I think of your family – your father and uncles who were always willing to bowl to you for hours and hours in those early years. No doubt this award will, in part, recognize them and the rest of your family as well.

I know I speak for many fans of the game, who will be pleased that you are being officially recognized for your immense contribution not just to West Indies cricket, but to world cricket as well.

Well done my friend.

Jimmy

Outstanding shooting from their eight-man Long Range Team team helped Guyana land the Milex Cup at the 2022 West Indies Full Bore Championships currently underway at Twickenham Park in Jamaica on Friday.

The shooters from South America aiming at targets at 900 yards were the only team to score over 700 out of a possible 800, with a total of 715.35 to take the title over Canada (682.32), Antigua & Barbuda (655.22). Hosts Jamaica finished fourth with a combined score of 652.16.

Four of their shooters score higher than 90 points during the competition - Sherwin Felicien shot 93.3, Roberto Tewari, 92.7, Peter Persaud, 91.5 and Dylan Fields 90.6 – as Guyana dominated the competition.

However, the best shooter on the day was Antigua & Barbuda’s Anderson Perry who scored 49.1 on the first detail and 48.2 on the second for a combined score of 97.3 out of a possible 100. His teammate Christopher Joseph was also excellent with a score of 96.6.

Karen Anderson was Jamaica’s top shooter with her score of 88.3.

Guyana will go for the sweep on Saturday in the Short Range Match at 300/500/600 yards in which Lennox Brathwaite is defending champion in the Wogarth Cup.

Forty shooters from across the Caribbean are in Jamaica for the 2022 West Indies Full Bore Shooting Council Championships set to run from October 24 - 29 at the Twickenham Park range in St Catherine following a two-year hiatus because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The best shooters from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Canada, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago will be vying to claim the title held by Trinidad and Tobago when the tournament was last held in 2019. However, there will likely be a new champion as the twin-island republic has sent only one shooter to the tournament this year. Barbados, too, has sent a single shooter.

The six-country championship will feature shooters aiming at targets from a minimum of 300 to a maximum of a 1000 yards.

Guyanese Lennox Braithwaite, Wogarth Cup champion, is back to defend his title having had the highest score in the short-range team match last time out. However, he admitted to Sportsmax.TV that his confidence is not where it should be going into competition.

“As a sportsman we try our best to prepare ourselves but there were two years of not shooting and so the kind of preparation that we would have liked we have not been able to on the outdoors but on the indoors, we would have done some of the exercises that would keep the muscle memory,” he said, but in terms of reading the weather conditions and so on for two years we would have been off.

“I am not so confident because I would guess that all the other teams maybe going through similar or had a better position in preparing. In Guyana, we hadn’t had the use of the ranges until about a month ago, so we had some challenges there.”

Notwithstanding the challenges, Brathwaite said he plans to offer a stern defense of his title.

“I would want to defend that position but at the same time I have to realistic because there are people who want to win also.”

He pointed out the shooters from Antigua and the host country as those he has to be wary of. “Nobody wants to lose at home,” he said laughingly.

Indeed, Jamaica would not want to lose at home and as such have fielded a strong team led by Phillip Scott and that includes national champion Dwayne Forde, who has been deemed a ‘definite contender’ for the individual title.

The team also comprises Karen Anderson, Denis John Nelson, David Rickman, Denis Lee, Claude Russell, Nicola Guy, Jose Nunez and Canute CC Coley.

Five lucky winners and their friends won trips of a lifetime to watch the Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 finals between the Barbados Royals and the Jamaica Tallawahs at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday, September 30, 2022.

Known to not miss an opportunity to give customers more, Digicel and SportsMax hosted a stream-to-win competition giving every customer who purchased a Digicel Prime Bundle and streamed the CPL T20 games live from August 31 to September 16, a chance to win a trip to the finals.

The user from each participating market with the most time spent in-app during this period won the chance to catch the biggest party in sport, up close and personal.

Dennis Henry from Jamaica, Allan Sirjoo from Trinidad & Tobago, Carlton Alwin John from Guyana, Havie Stephen from St. Lucia and Kalia Huggins from St. Kitts & Nevis all emerged winners.

“It’s been an exciting CPL 2022 season! We are happy that the Jamaica Tallawahs came out on top to secure their third CPL title, bringing the trophy home to Jamaica,” said Tari Lovell, Head of Marketing, Digital Services, at Digicel Group.

“Thanks to the SportsMax app, I haven’t missed a moment of the action and I know our winners feel the same way too. I just want to congratulate them once more and thank them for choosing Digicel and SportsMax.”

This year the Barbados Royals, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Saint Lucia Kings, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs and Trinbago Knight Riders all went head to head to battle for the coveted CPL T20 title.

Cricket fans were able to stream live matches all season long on the SportsMax app using their superfast Digicel LTE prime data bundles, or on the SportsMax channels on Digicel+.

Wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble smashed a century to help Berbice secure a sizeable 189 run win over Demerara in the Guyana Cricket Board’s Senior Inter-County 50-over championship on Monday.

Watched by a fair-sized crowd at Bourda, Berbice won the toss and opted to bat first in a game reduced to 45 overs due to early morning rain.

It proved to be a good call by captain Veerasammy Permaul, as Berbice proceeded to dominate the Demerara bowling attack.

Bramble and 19-year-old debutant Rampertab Ramnauth set the tone for the innings with a 91-run opening partnership in 14 overs. Ramnauth made 36 off 50 balls (4x4s).

Bramble and West Indies left-hander Shimron Hetmyer then proceeded to put the game beyond Demerara, adding 105 for the second wicket in just 12.4 overs.

Demerara found some relief when Bramble was trapped leg before for 106 off 83 (14x4s, 2x6s), and Hetmyer was dismissed shortly after for 58 off 46 (2x4s, 3x6s) at 230-3 in the 32^nd over, but that only opened the floodgates as Jonathan Foo and Romario Shepherd went into T20 mode.

The pair racked up 88 in 8.4 overs for the fourth wicket to deny Demerara any chance of making a fightback. Shepherd hit two fours and four sixes in a whirlwind 40 off 28 balls, and Foo slammed 71 off 45 (5x4s, 4x6s).

Kevin Sinclair chipped in at the end with 15 not out off nine balls, as Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed took 3-66 off his nine overs.

Faced with a stiff target against a potent bowling attack, Demerara slipped to 6-2 with Chandrapaul Hemraj and Tevin Imlach both falling for two.

Opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul and skipper Leon Johnson put on 85 for the third wicket, but once both were dismissed and Christopher Barnwell soon followed, the damage was done.

Johnson top-scored with 51 off 47 (7x4s, 1×6), Chanderpaul made 39 off 50 (4x4s, 1×6) and Akshyana Persaud scored 37 off 25 (1×4, 4x6s) as Demerara folded to Berbice’s spin-heavy bowling attack.

The hosts were eventually dismissed for 174 in 29.3 overs with left-arm spinner Permaul taking 3-30, off-spinner Kevin Sinclair 3-42 and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie 2-32.

Summary: Berbice 365-6 from 45 overs (Anthony Bramble 106, Jonathan Foo 71, Shimron Hetmyer 58, Romario Shepherd 40, Rampertab Ramnauth 36; Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed 3-66) vs Demerara 174 all out from 29.3 overs (Leon Johnson 51, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 39, Akshaya Persaud 37; Veerasammy Permaul 3-30, Kevin Sinclair 3-42, Gudakesh Motie 2-32)

Meanwhile at Everest, a century from Kemol Savory and 92 not out from Kevon Boodie helped Essequibo secured an eight-wicket victory over the GCB President’s XI.

The President’s XI batted first and recovered well from being 90-5 to post 237-8, thanks to some lower-order batting from Shamar Joseph and Kwesi Mickle.

Joseph made a top-score of 67 not out off 47 balls including seven fours and three sixes while Mickle played second fiddle with 40 off 86 (1×4, 2x6s). Suresh Dhanai chipped in with 30 off 26 (4x4s, 1×6) and opener Matthew Nandu made 27 off 34 (3x4s).

Bowling for Essequibo, left-arm spinner Anthony Adams was excellent with figures 3-14 off 10 overs, including 52 dot balls, while Ricardo Adams took 2-40 off 10.

The good recovery by the President’s XI when they batted meant Essequibo had a larger target than they initially anticipated, but any nerves were quelled by Savory and Boodie's crucial second-wicket partnership.

After the early loss of Nathan Persaud for 11, Savory and Boodie dominated the President’s XI bowling attack in a partnership of 163.

Boodie, the aggressor, smashed 11 fours and two sixes from his 102 deliveries.

Once he departed, Savory took centre stage, coasting to a magnificent hundred and sealing the victory.

His unbeaten 108 spanned 106 balls and included eight fours and three sixes. Keyron Fraser and Akini Adams were the wicket-takers for the President’s XI.

Summary: GCB President’s XI 237-8 from 50 overs (Shamar Joseph 67*, Kwesi Mickle 40, Suresh Dhanai 38, Matthew Nandu 27; Anthony Adams 3-14, Ricardo Adams 2-40) vs Essequibo 240-2 from 41.3 overs (Kemol Savory 108*, Kevon Boodie 92, Keyron Fraser 1-19, Akini Adams 1-40)

The second round of the competition will take place on Wednesday with Berbice playing Essequibo at the GCC ground, Bourda, and Demerara up against the President’s XI at Everest.

Discarded West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer has been selected by defending champions Berbice for the 50-over Inter-County Championships set to bowl off on Monday.

Legendary Guyanese World Cup-winning captain Sir Clive Lloyd has praised the level of cricket in the ongoing 2022 Caribbean Premier League.

Lloyd, who led the West Indies to consecutive World Cup triumphs in 1975 and 1979, worked as a mentor for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, who lost to the Jamaica Tallawahs in qualifier 2 on Wednesday, throughout the season.

“It’s a mentoring role and I’m quite happy. I get to have a lot of chats with the young guys and so on,” said Lloyd on the Mason & Guest radio show on Tuesday.

From an individual perspective, “not many new names” was Lloyd’s response when asked about any standouts from this year’s edition. “The people that are making runs and taking wickets are established players,” he added before praising the overall level of cricket on display as well as the curators for the quality of the pitches being used.

“I think it has been quite good. We had quite a few good games in Guyana. I must commend the curators for the work they’ve put in on the pitches, they’ve played very well. The wickets have been good for stroke-play and the crowds have enjoyed it as well.”

“It’s been quite exciting and I’m sure that, in the future, it will continue to be that way,” he added.

Finally, when asked about advice he’d give to current West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, Lloyd was brief saying “I'm hoping that this captaincy thing is not restricting his play with the bat because he’s a real talent. Hopefully, he'll come good on those harder pitches.”

Barbadian All-rounder Jason Holder has warned his West Indian teammates against complacency in the qualifying round for the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to commence October 15 in Australia.

The Windies, who won the tournament in 2012 and 2016, will face Scotland, Zimbabwe and Ireland in Group B with the top two teams advancing to the Super 12.

"We've got a task to uphold in terms of qualifying for the main round," Holder said.

"More or less, we have to focus on the qualifier. Ireland, Scotland and Zimbabwe by no means are pushovers. We've got to take it as seriously as we possibly can and just make sure we get into the next phase of the tournament."

Holder, entering his third T20 World Cup believes there are positives to playing in the qualifiers for the regional side.

"I think it's good in a way that we're playing the qualifiers," he said.

 "West Indies teams of the past have proved that we get better as we go along. To have the warm-up phase of the tournament and then to go into the actual group stage after qualification, I think it's going to be to our betterment in the sense we get more cricket. The talent we have got - depth in terms of resources and batting and bowling - we've always been pretty athletic in the field, so I'm looking forward to that challenge."

The team will be looking to rebound from an abysmal 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE where they got just one win in five matches, failing to advance from the Super 12.

 The Barbados Royals secured their eighth win of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season with a 36-run win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at Providence Stadium, Guyana. 

Shakib al Hasan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz will be joining the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the remaining matches of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). They will be replacing Heinrich Klaasen and Tabraiz Shamsi both of whom have been called up to international duties with South Africa after the Trinidad leg of the tournament.

 This will be the third Hero CPL franchise that Shakib has represented having previously played for the Barbados Royals and Jamaica Tallawahs. The Bangladesh all-rounder is the holder of the current record for best bowling figures in a Hero CPL match, having taken 6-6 for the Barbados franchise in 2013.

 Afghan international Gurbaz will be making his first appearance at the Hero CPL.

Having played 44 matches for Afghanistan and with experience in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) he will bring a lot of batting power to the Amazon Warriors line-up.

After years of coming up short, an insatiable hunger drove Ashley Khalil to her first ever Caribbean Senior Squash Singles title in Jamaica last week.