An international group of female match officials will oversee the inaugural New Amsterdam Secondary Schools Girls’ T10 Cricket Tournament, which is scheduled for September 18–20 at the Berbice High School Ground.
Maria Abbott of St Vincent and the Grenadines has been appointed match referee, while Ava Baker and Youlanda Parker of Guyana, along with Trinidad and Tobago’s Lerra Jennings and Brenda Solozano, will perform umpiring duties.
Matches will begin at 9:00am daily, with five schools from New Amsterdam competing in the landmark tournament organised by the Georgia Women Cricket Association.
The participating institutions are New Amsterdam Secondary School, Berbice High School, Vryman’s Erven Secondary School, Berbice Educational Institute and Tutorial Academy Secondary School.
The tournament is being spearheaded by New Amsterdam native Petal Samuels-Felicien, a prominent figure in grassroots women’s cricket in the United States. Samuels-Felicien is the founder and president of the Georgia Women Cricket Association and the Atlanta Pearls women’s cricket team. She is also a cricketer, certified umpire and qualified coach who has organised tournaments, development camps and coaching sessions in Georgia.
Her work in the United States has earned recognition, including induction into the Cricket Hall of Fame in Hartford, Connecticut, in 2015. She was also honoured by the Georgia House of Representatives in 2016 for her contribution to women’s and youth cricket.
Samuels-Felicien said the inaugural tournament is a personal opportunity to reconnect with and contribute to the community that played an important role in her development.
“It gives me great joy to give back to the community that helped to shape me into the woman I have become,” she said. “Sports has always been an integral part of my life, and I wish to share that with these young ladies.”
She added that the competition builds on her experience hosting an annual women’s tournament in Georgia.
“This is me giving back to my beloved New Amsterdam, where I spent my formative years,” Samuels-Felicien said.
The tournament is intended to give schoolgirls an opportunity to compete, develop their skills and become more involved in cricket. It is also expected to strengthen the pathway for female cricket in New Amsterdam and the wider Berbice area.
Banks DIH Limited, A. Ally and Sons, the Ministry of Education, the Regional Democratic Council of Region Six and the Mayor and Town Council of New Amsterdam are among the supporting partners.
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