Not many athletes elevate to the stature of representing their country in one sport, much less two.
However, 19-year-old Afrucia Gentle is one such standout who will be pushing for a regular spot on the Guyana senior female cricket team as soon as the coronavirus pandemic ends and cricket activity begins.
Gentle also has another goal, that of securing titles for her country in lawn tennis.
Gentle broke onto the scene last year in the Guyana Cricket Board under-17 Franchise League where she averaged 107, earning her a spot in the Guyana under-19 side and a place in the senior side later on.
The hard-hitting right hander reflected on that experience, describing it as “a great achievement.”
For Gentle the success in cricket was like a whirlwind since she was relatively new to the sport, having started a few months prior through a wind-ball competition in the National Gymnasium where she was spotted.
“Playing cricket at that level [and] being exposed to the high intensity training was an eye opener,” she said .
“I learned so many things it wasn’t an easy journey but it was worth every minute,” she added of her stint with the senior team.
On further analysis of her time with the unit, she noted it was “bittersweet in a sense,” explaining that the training was gruelling, much harder that what she was exposed to in lawn tennis and she “had to make quick improvements in my game which made me work harder and harder everyday which gave me enough motivation throughout to always strive to be on top of my game.”
Coming from the hype of last year, Gentle did not perform to the high standard she set herself but posited that it was a mental issue rather than lack of form. This, she said “made me take a few steps back and assess myself in terms of my mental and physical well-being.”
Shortly after, Gentle explained that she has found her groove and has been working feverishly to bring her ‘A’ game but was forced to remodel her training due to the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
“I’m very disappointed that the cricket season has been cancelled due to the pandemic because I was really training hard, adding to that the fact that I was training with the mindset of making the national team, but I’m a believer and I guess God knows best and therefore I am trusting the process and using this as an opportunity for me to work harder on myself mentally and physically,” Gentle stated.
Looking at her expectations, the former Mae’s Secondary School student said, “I don’t put too much pressure on myself in terms of goals because I know my capabilities and I know where I need to be so I just take it one step at a time.”
She, however said that it would “be extra special” to make the side this year since it could potentially be her last due to her commitment with lawn tennis.
The Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) women’s open singles champion detailed that one of her goals in tennis, over the last four years was to secure the opportunity to play at the university level and study in the United States of America.
Gentle said balancing both will be hard but not impossible adding that she was confident that playing tennis and securing a sound education is the right path for her.
