Destroyers and Tigers get ready for Florida tournament

openingbat — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:22:00 GMT

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On December 3rd, 201, the Bedessee Destroyers will launch their campaign to reacquire the title of best 20/20 team in North America.

Pic (Right): News clip from the Radiant Info T20 in 2009. Can the Destroyers live up to their reputation in Florida?

The Destroyers, underwritten by Bedessee Sporting Goods, is among the handful of fiercely competitive and privately financed teams in USA today. The team was a semi-finalist at each edition of the Radiant Info T20, in addition to winning the title in 2009. The team came up short in the finals of the Cricket Council USA tournament last year.

Comprised of national players from throughout the Caribbean and local players from around the United States of America, the team is among the favorites to take the $25,000 grand prize on offer at the 2010 Cricket Council USA tournament. This year, teams are playing in four groups with five teams each, and a good number of teams are flying in from outside Florida including Washington Tigers, the defending champions.

In an attempt to reverse its fortunes, the New York Destroyers has secured the services of Caribbean stars Lennox Cush, Darren Ganga, Lendl Simmons, Navin Stewart, Dave Mohammed and William Perkins. They will be joined by current USA all rounder Orlando Baker, ex-West Indies fast bowler Jermaine Lawson and ex-Guyana fast bowler Kevin Darlington.

For its part, Washington Tigers, captained by Dawood Ahmed has enlisted familiar names like Imran Awan, Gowkarran Roopnarine, Neil McGarrell and Usman Shuja. “We have invested a lot in this team over the years and the benefits have started to flow, not only now but for a while now,’ Ahmed said in a press release. The press release also noted that USA Captain Steve Massiah will be leading the United Chargers.

The most exciting development is the participation of Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan, playing as part of the CFCA Royals. This is a huge boost for the tournament organizers. Not since Virender Sehwag played at the LA Open in 2007 has USA seen a major Indian cricketer play stateside. In the aftermath of the ICL, and with the introduction of ICC Section 32 in June 2009, senior Indian players have generally avoided playing in private tournaments.

Chubb Bedessee, owner and manager of Bedessee New York Destroyers, has taken his participation a little further this year by entering a second team - the Bedessee Florida Destroyers. "We want to give more players an opportunity to showcase their skills and expanding to a second team was a way of recognizing those players who have shown promise, commitment and to give them an opportunity to match their skills against some of the best national and international players," Chubb Bedessee told DreamCricket.com.

The Bedessee Florida Destroyers include Jamaican national players Danza Hyatt, Krishmar Santokie and Shawn Findlay. Playing alongside them will also be Sherwin Ganga and Denesh Ramdin. With local Floridians such as Shawn Beckford and Kenroy Wright, this team will also be a major contender for the title of T20 supremacy. The Destroyers have begun practice sessions under the watchful eyes of coach Mr. Linden Fraser at the DreamCricket indoor facility in Hillsborough, NJ.

Based on the level of competition experienced in the past, Coach Fraser feels that the Destroyers will be ready to fire on December 3. Highly recognized sports trainer Mr. Basil Butcher Jr. is also helping the team prepare for upcoming tournament. Mr. Butcher is helping in enhancing the player’s fitness with exercise drills and workout sessions to make sure that all players are fit and ready. The full team squads are as follow:

Bedessee New York Destroyers: Barrington Bartley, Lennox Cush, Daren Ganga, Jermaine Lawson, William Perkins, Kavishwar Bridgepaul, Dave Mohammed, Orlando Baker, Kevin Darlington, Dennis Evans, Lendl Simmons, Navin Stewart, Dwayne Smith, George Adams, Andrew Gonsalves, Linden Fraser (Coach), Kerk Higgins ( Asst Coach), Chubb Bedessee (Manager), Lester Hooper (Asst Manager), Basil Butcher Jr. (Physio/Trainer), Curtis Clarke ( Public Relations Rep).

Bedessee Florida Destroyers: Nicholas Standford, Danza Hyatt, Shawn Findlay, Akeem Dodson, Twain Walters, Sherwin Ganga, Krishmar Santokie, Denesh Ramdin, Kenroy Wright, Shawn Beckford, Glenroy Anglin, Masood Mohammed, Keneil Irving, Donald Bennett, Damian Wellington, Nigel Liu (Coach), Tomlin Manna ( Manager).

USA Cricketer : Kevin Darlington, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Smith

Destroyers and Tigers get ready for Florida tournament