The sixth annual memorial softball match for the late and former Guyana Under-19 and 15 cricketer Shivanandan Madholall is set for September 1st at the Reliance Sports Club ground, Essequibo.
The attacking left-handed Madholall, who also represented his county Essequibo at the senior level in the Guyana Cricket Board Inter-county tournament, passed away at the age of 30 in 2013 due to malaria.
According to his eldest brother, another ex-Guyana youth batsman, Rovendra Mandolall, the one-day event should be exciting since past Essequibo inter-county players are expected to be on show.
Mandolall also stated that he is still saddened with his younger sibling’s sudden demise but definitely ‘thrilled’ to run off the cricket match which features two teams from the village.
Reliance Hustlers Cricket Club will match their skills with Reliance Veterans X1 commencing at 11:00hrs in a 20-over affair. Apart from the on-field actions, musical entertainment will be provided as well. Refreshments for spectators and players will also be served.
Reliance Hustlers will have former Guyana under-19 batsman Rovindra Parasram along with other several players who featured for Essequibo at various levels while the Veterans’ combination will comprise of a number of seasoned and Essequibo players too.
Softball stalwart and former Essequibo versatile all-rounder Ramesh Narine will lead the batting for the Hustlers who will have the experienced Trevis Simon as their leader.
Another ex-Essequibo senior player and skipper Elroy Stephney will suit up for Reliance Veterans along with Marvin Pearson. Sports Journalist and former Essequibo under-19 batsman Ravi Madholall is expected to grace the occasion and will attire in the Veterans’ lineup.
The Canada-based Ravi is one of the three other brothers of Shivanandan while Narindra Madholall, who is currently in Canada playing professionally, is the other sibling.
“Obviously, this is a great way to remember him having died in 2013; but he was a talented player and his love for cricket was profound so I [am] more than delighted to have organized another cricket event; we had wanted to play hard-ball cricket but because of the steady rain in Guyana, we have been forced to set up the softball game,” Mandolall, who resides in Canada, related.
Adding to what Rovendra mentioned, Ravi declared that the contest should be highly competitive like previous occasions.
“The agony of his death is certainly still in our heart but because of his passion for the game and his representation for Guyana at the regional youth level, we strongly believe that his memory must be celebrated with a cricket match whether softball or hard-ball; we are again extremely happy to make the occasion a reality and the encounter will be engrossing,” Ravi disclosed.
Meanwhile, the brothers will remember their father Seeram Madholall too who passed away in 2017 owing to Heart-attack.
Ravi took the opportunity to thank the sponsors for the trophies. Rovendra will donate the winner’s and runners-up trophies while Platinum Lounge and Sports Bar is sponsoring the Most Valuable Player prize. Former Guyana Under-15 and 19 batsman Devon Ramnauth will provide trophies for the best batsman and best bowler.