Johnson says education has to play a bigger role in youth cricket preparation

Aug 13, 2008 Sports

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U-17s to play role in preparation for 2009 U-19 series

By Sean Devers
Guyana returned home earlier this month as runner-up to host Barbados as they surrendered their TCL regional three-day under-19 cricket title and Manager Alvin Johnson lamented at a press conference yesterday that mental weakness was a major cause of concern during the one-month tournament. 

Johnson, a Vice-President of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) said the lack of mental strength, which led to inept batting performances, especially in the final one-day game against Trinidad and Tobago, undermined Guyana’s chances of taking a hat-trick of titles this year after winning at home in 2006 and in St Kitts last year.

Coach Hubern Evans and Skipper Eugene La Fleur were also present at yesterday’s press conference at the GCB secretariat at Bourda.  And Evans, a former Guyana first-class player said that while there is still plenty of talent around he is worried that most of the young players seem incapable of mentally adjusting their game in pressure situations and understanding their roles as players.

Skipper La Fleur, easily Guyana’s most level-headed player and one of the better leaders in the six-team competition, explained that his team ‘gelled really well and were a united bunch of players. He however added that he felt the team should have done much better but struggled to re-focus after a day’s play or night’s rest.

Erratic shot selection was a cause for major concern throughout the tournament and with nine players from this year’s Guyana team eligible for next year’s competition, Johnson informed that many ideas were discussed at the team’s debriefing session with the GCB yesterday.

Johnson also informed that the GCB has placed the three players who left the national team’s camp before the team departed after they were not selected in the touring party, on a year’s probation. Michael Felix, Balbinder Shivpersaud and Denver Greaves walked out of the camp after they were named as stand-bys and CEO of Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club Hilbert Foster yesterday informed that Felix’s membership of that club has been revoked due to his indiscipline behaviour.

Johnson said that recommendations were also made to have pacer Keon Joseph and Leon Scott taken to a specialist with regards to their injuries. Both players aggravated injuries that they had coming into the tournament.

He also said that while the University of the West Indies Campus was not suitable to accommodate the teams which were moved from their after the first day, the hotels used by the teams and the meals were good.

“The meals were good but we had a problem with the way the Barbadians prepared their food which was different from what most of our players were accustomed to and which affected their eating habits…..most of what they cooked had peas and almost everyday we had Macaroni pie,” Johnson said.

Coach Evans said that the team failed to carry out instructions during their final game when they collapsed from 55-3 in 11 overs to 86 all out in 22 overs and blamed this on the batsmen inability to remain focused under pressure.

Both Johnson and Evans agreed that the standard of the regional youth series had dropped in the last few years and Johnson, who also has the responsibility for schools cricket on the GCB, said urgent measures have to be taken regarding youth cricketers attending school.

“We (GCB) are mindful that over the years many youths who feel they are good cricketers don’t pay much attention to school and this lack of education seems to be affecting the mental aspects of their cricket. We have mandated that students must have at least a 75% attendance rate for them to qualify to play in the national schools competitions, but many time teachers place winning above enforcing this regulation which defeats the whole idea,’ Johnson noted.

“We have to make our children understand that they must get an education since cricket, like life requires someone who can think and analyse situations if they hope to be successful,” Johnson added. 

The GCB official also said that the nine players eligible for next year’s competition will be added to a squad of about 30 which will be made up of the best under-17 players from next month’s under-17 inter-county competition.

Guyana, with 12 titles are the most dominant team in the 40-year history of regional three-day youth cricket but have never won the one-day competition which was first played in 1998.

Next year’s competition could be played in Trinidad or Guyana but a venue has not yet been fixed by the WICB.

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