On Saturday September 18, 2010, Friends of Reuben Wade (FORW) will showcase another softball cricket match, in memory of the late Guyanese cricketer Reuben Wade, at Peter’s Field, located at Liberty Avenue and 183rd St. The event kicks off at 12 noon.
The late Reuben Wade.
This is the 10th year for this event, at which Mr. Chait Narine Persaud (also known as Busoo) and Asmat Khan (Also known as Prince) would be recognized for their contribution to the sport of cricket.
ASMAT KHAN (‘PRINCE’)
Recognition Award 2010 for his contribution to the sport of cricket as an umpire.
Every cricket lover has his favorite hero from his village whom he worships. Invariably it is either a batsman or a bowler. Sometimes it may be a wicket keeper, as in Rasheed from Uitvlugt. Rarely would you find an umpire being among the admired despite the significant and important place umpires hold in a cricket match.
Every cricketer knows how important a role an umpire plays in determining the outcome of a game, especially in those days before high powered images and technology that makes it possible for someone in the pavilion to see whether a batsman is out or not, or whether a bowler has bowled a no ball.
On the West Coast of Demerara in the period spanning the late 60’s to the 80’s there was one umpire who stood out from the host of trained umpires that officiated at cricket matches – his name is Asmat Khan, more popularly known as Prince. Prince grew up with cricket in his blood. Every day after school he would round up the young boys in his neighborhood for a game of soft ball.
During school holidays in July and August, we would exchange soft ball for tin cups shaped like cricket balls and spend our afternoons playing in his backyard. We pretended that we were playing in the big leagues and imitated our favorite players, Loka, Hansraj, or Bobby Kissoon.
Prince did not benefit from the free Secondary education provided by the former PPP government as many of us at that time did. And unlike the other youngsters in his neighborhood he did not transition to club cricket at the Community Center. His playing days ended with soft ball and tin cups due to the tragic and untimely death of his father. Prince was forced to join the workforce at a very tender age for he became the sole breadwinner for a family of twelve.
During the sixties, the Guyana Cricket Board of Control along with Booker’s Sugar Estate launched an ambitious program to train umpires to officiate at local games and to raise the standard of the game. In every village along the coast scores of umpire were trained. Some joined for love of the game while others joined for the money they could make officiating in matches at week-ends. The quality of the game did improve with the trained umpires. Village loyalty died hard and many of the trained umpires often made decisions in favor of their home teams despite their training. However, a few good umpires emerged and stood out above the rest. Among them were Prince and Beesham.
Prince became the ultimate professional umpire. He knew the game intimately and every decision he made was supported by the rules and totally devoid of emotions. He gained the enmity of many Uitvlugt supporters when he would not allow close decisions to go their way. Some thought he was a sell out and many a Sunday afternoon they would follow him home hurling insults. But Prince refused to allow village loyalty to cloud his decisions. As a result he gained the respect of cricket lovers in every village where the game was played. He became the standard whereby other umpires were judged. In the epic Drayton Cup final between CI and Uitvlugt which lasted over three weekends Prince disallowed several close calls that would have ended the game earlier in favor of Uitvlugt. The people of Uitvlugt were mad with him but he stood his ground.
Prince was encouraged by many to go forward with his career as an umpire and officiate in the senior games in the city but family commitments and his humility would not permit him to do so. He derived great pleasure and satisfaction from umpiring at the local level and there is none who can say that he did not do a good and fair job.
I am glad that we are honoring Prince for his contribution in uplifting the standard of the game in West Demerara. It is regrettable that circumstances have changed so much in the West Demerara area that the youths of today cannot benefit from the legacy of those like Prince. Cricket grounds are now cow pastures and the youths are texting and playing video games instead of pursuing this glorious sport.
(Submitted by Mr. Frankie Chee-A-Tow)
CHAIT NARINE PERSAUD (‘BUSOO’)
Recognition Award 2010 for his contribution to the sport of cricket as an all-rounder.
The best West Demerara player without a Guyana Cap.
Chait Narine Persaud will be one of the honoree at this year's event.
One of the best cricketers from the West Demerara never to represent Guyana has to be Chait Narine Persaud. A talented all-rounder, Persaud showed his class with both bat and ball for every team he represented. He could be likened to the outstanding Berbice batsman Leslie Amsterdam who despite his brilliance could not break into the Guyana line-up. But unlike Amsterdam, Persaud could bowl as well.
His best exploits were produced in the Sugar Estate competitions in the 1960’s representing West Demerara. In one game against Berbice Estates, Persaud recorded the brilliant figures of four wickets for 39 runs from thirty overs. His scalps included Roy Fredericks, who went on to become the great Guyana and West Indies opening batsman, and Romain Etwaroo, the ex Guyana opener.
In those days Persaud opened the batting with the legendary Reuben Wade and put on two century partnerships included one memorable 117 stand against Berbice which included the great West Indies opener Conrad Hunte, as a guest player.
Persaud also played with Guyana players Steven Camacho and Randolph Ramnarace in Sugar Estate trials but was not fortunate to go on to represent Guyana as the two did. But he did make the West Demerara Cavaliers, a team comprising the best players from the region in the mid 1960’s and which also included Nabi Bacchus, Sonny Basdeo, Boodhu Dwarka, Mohamed Rasheed, Seeraj Gobind and C. Hollingsworth. Persaud also toured Grenada with a special West Demerara team managed by popular umpire at the time Toolsie Kumar and opened the batting making one half century.
The Drayton Cup played among West Demerara teams was one of Persaud’s favourite stomping grounds where he once recorded the staggering bowling figures of seven wickets for 13 runs for Cornelia l Ida (CI) against Versailles. He went on to play 13 years for CI, including three as captain and led the team to three title wins.
Persaud’s first century was made in the White Cup off the Saint Stanislaus attack shortly after making his debut as a 15 year old. His second ton was a dynamic 171 against the prestigious Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) attack in the Guyana Cricket Board’s Northcote Cup competition.
The talented all-rounder attributes his natural ability to being raised in CI, a small village 9 nine miles from Georgetown, which produced top players the likes of Rabindranauth Seeram, the former Guyana player and current national team coach, Guyana and West Indies Under-19 allrounder Babu Sankar, Shivnauth Seeram, S..Persaud and Ganesh Ram Narine.
The man who became known as Busoo was a giant in the true sense of the word for CI and West Demerara cricket.