Coach and captain of the Guyana Jaguars team which recently captured the 2016/17 Digicel – West Indies Cricket board regional four-day title for the third successive year Esuan Crandon and Leon Johnson are both pleased with the team’s showing while lauding the efforts of the youngsters who contributed to the team’s championship run.
Skipper, Leon Johnson, when asked about his emotions after completing the triple triumph, said, “to be honest, it’s a great feeling, obviously to win three in a row,” he said with a sigh of relief.
“I think it will sink in a bit later but you know all the hard work we’ve put in before the season started and during the season has paid off and I’s very happy with that,” he added.
The skipper admitted that he endured a tough outing with the bat this season during which time he lost his place in the West Indies senior team. “Obviously, the stats haven’t read good for the season but what has taken the pressure off of me during the season is that we’ve continued to win games and other guys have stepped up so, me not scoring runs took a bit of the pressure off of me there.”
The 29-year-old left-hander was candid about his unimpressive returns only managing 323 runs at a modest average of just over 20 runs per innings during which he only scored two half-centuries from 10 games this season. He would know that he has to produce a more than eye-catching 2018 season to inspire confidence in the regional selectors if they are to look in his direction again.
Johnson, who is one of the more natural leaders in the region, which was underlined after he became the first Guyanese captain to lead his side to three consecutive championships, lauded the efforts of young Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford while pointing out their value to Guyana’s cricket moving forward.
“Yeah! Definitely! Keemo [Paul], played two games. He did well in the first game and he did exceptionally well in this game. Sherfane [Rutherford] as well came in and looked pretty decent and did well with the ball so yeah I’m happy, it’s all good for the future of Guyana’s cricket. Once these youngsters continue to work hard I don’t see why we can’t continue to win more championship, in the future,” he said. Meanwhile, Coach Esuan Crandon, who is also riding high after being a major cog in the Jaguars completing the three-peat, also sang praises of the players and the institutions around which the players benefited from.
“I don’t know what the others [Territories] are doing but I know what we are doing; we have been working really hard and since the new professional system started, it’s been a total difference in Guyana’s cricket. It’s evident, the numbers are different and we now have three titles in three years,” Crandon said.
He added, “What is enlightening for me is that the youngsters, who have been given opportunities, came in and they played the cricket like they have been playing it before and that’s a good sign for me and Guyana’s cricket going forward. I’m really elated with Keemo Paul, I think he’s growing in confidence and it’s like he’s been here before with the level of confidence he’s being displaying,” Crandon said.
“As the coach, it’s not just about winning the championship. For me, it’s also about seeing players develop and moving to the International level and seeing them moving from level to level while also being consistent, achieving those goals will define me as a good coach or not.”
Guyana won the 2016/17 championship after amassing 134.8 points ahead of runners-up Barbados who notched up 124 points, can put their feet up after completing the three-peat.
Looking at the individual performances, local legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul was Guyana’s leading run scorer with 622 from seven matches after scoring five fifties and two centuries while new batting sensation Shimron Hetmyer (496) and the dependable Raymon Reifer (445) both reached the four-hundred run aggregate which earned them both West Indies call-ups, at varying levels.
Consequently, in the bowling department, Veerasammy Permaul’s 41 wickets from nine matches which included a seven-wicket haul against Trinidad and Tobago, snared the most wickets for Guyana. Reifer, however, who had 36 scalps from the same amount of matches was easily Guyana’s most valuable players after contributing significantly in both departments.
