Guyana boasts a rich cricketing heritage, having produced some of the greatest names in West Indian folklore, from Joe Solomon who featured in the 1st ever tied Test against Australia in 1960 through to Clive Lloyd who was captain during the 1970’s, up to the present with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.  Since the British introduced the game almost a century ago, cricket has been embraced by almost every ethnic group and over the years it has appeared almost to transcend the social mix.  No fewer than 6 Guyanese captains have led the West Indies, most notably Lloyd, though it was the leadership of Rohan Kanhai that marked the arrival of West Indies cricket as a dominant force.  The best known sports arena in Guyana is The Bourda, founded in 1858 and home of the Georgetown Cricket Club.  A long tradition of Test Match cricket, first played here in 1930, will come to end with the staging of 6 One Day World Cup matches scheduled at the new purpose built Providence Ground, thereafter to become the new Test arena. 

Cricket is easily the dominant sport, and thrives throughout the 3 counties, Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice.  Despite a vibrant league structure based in Georgetown, many of the country’s best players have traditionally come from the rural areas.  The Guyana Cricket Board is well aware of this and thanks to the US$280,000 investment into Guyana cricket in 2006 by Antiguan financier Allen Stanford, the board will be seeking to unearth new talent.  Colin Stuart, himself a former Test fast bowler and now the GCB’s Development Officer commented, ‘We are looking to upgrade facitilies throughout the counties, which will lead to an overall improvement.  Grounds identified for immediate renovation work include outlying Albion and Bermine as well as Everest in Georgetown, traditionally used as a practise ground by visiting Test Match teams’.

Ideal time for visiting touring sides would either be at season’s end in September or pre-season, in March or April.  Most recent tourists were Sunrise CC from New York, who played 5 games in the capital, Essequibo, West Berbice and the West Bank of the Demerara river.

Sample Cricket Tour Itinerary to Guyana

Day 1

Arrive in Guyana. Transfer to Georgetown. Overnight at Le Meridien Pegasus.

Day 2

Day to acclimatize, morning training session at Everest Cricket Ground Afternoon Georgetown city tour.  Overnight at Le Meridien Pegasus.  B

Day 3

Match 1 at Everest Cricket Ground. Overnight at Le Meridien Pegasus.  B

Day 4

Match 2 at Demerara Cricket Ground. Return to Hotel. Overnight at Le Meridien Pegasus. B

Day 5

After breakfast pickup and transfer by vehicle and then by boat on the Essequibo River to Baganara Island Resort, 187 acres of lush green foliage and colourful tropical flowers, that will quickly help you forget how "the other half" lives. Five miles south of Bartica, it is the gateway to the unspoilt rainforest of Guyana and the junction where the great Essequibo and Mazaruni River meet.  Enjoy the facilities at Baganara Island Resort, including nature walk, cricket, volley ball, swimming and motorized watersports*. Overnight at Baganara Island Resort.  BLD 
http://www.wilderness-explorers.com/baganara.htm

Day 6

Match 3 at Providence Test Ground. Overnight at Le Meridien Pegasus. B

Day 7

Day trip to Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls. Return trip continues back to Georgetown. Overnight at Le Meridien Pegasus. BL

Day 8

Match 4 at Linden, about 90 minutes from Georgetown. Overnight at Le Meridien Pegasus. B

Day 9

After breakfast, transfer to the Ogle Airstrip for chartered flight to Albion, Berbice for Match 5. Evening return to Georgetown by vehicle. Overnight  at Le Meridien Pegasus. B
Day 10 Morning transfer to Timehri Docks for the journey by boat to Arrow Point Nature Resort. Arrowpoint is named after the many trees found in the surrounding area.  Ancient Amerindians used parts of this tree to make their arrows for hunting. To maintain originality and to stay as close as possible to nature, all buildings are made mostly from materials made locally.  The walls of the lodges were constructed from the Manicole Palm and the thatched roofs from the leaves of the Troolie Palm. Within the rainforest, aback of the lodges, there is a network of well marked trails, used for mountain biking, nature walks, bird watching etc. Overnight at Arrowpoint Nature Resort. BLD
Day 11 Transfer by boat back on the Demerara, Kamuni and Pokerero Rivers and then by vehicle to Georgetown.   Match 6 at Bourda Cricket Ground.  Farewell cocktail. Overnight at Le Meridien Pegasus.  B
Day 12 Morning free.  Afternoon transfer to airport for departing flight.  B

Prices available on request