Latest update February 6th, 2025 7:27 AM
Dr Jackson conducts ‘Self Examination’ sessions for cricketers
Dr Janice Jackson chats with a group of National cricketers during a Claude Raphael organized self examination session yesterday.
Several cricketers who have lost their places in the Guyana team were yesterday exposed to a ‘self examination’ session from Dr Janice Jackson at the Mildred Mansfield Youth Club.
The session was organized by Chairman of the National selection panel Claude Raphael and looked at the psychological aspects of the player’s cricket and personal development.
Raphael explained that after hearing the concerns expressed by many including former Government Minister Rashly Jackson and former First Secretary Ronald Austin about our young cricketers’ lack of success because of apparently weak mental areas of their game, it was imperative that some help be afforded to the players who all clearly had talent but were still generally under-achieving.
Raphael disclosed that Austin, a former Guyana youth team Skipper, asked him to arrange a session for the players resulting in yesterday’s workshop.
“We recognize that many of the young players are blessed with so much natural talent but somehow they are not producing on the field as expected and in some cases their whole cricket has regressed. We believe this has a lot to do with the metal aspects of their preparation and many times lack of mental fortitude in pressure situations during matches,” Raphael informed.
Raphael, the former Malteenoes Sports Club President was mainly responsible for the introduction of a youth section at the club and the production of several outstanding national youth players during the latter part of the 1980s. He told Kaieteur Sport that he was sure that if the young players pay more attention to the mental and psychological aspects of their cricket they could develop into excellent players since the shortage of talent is not an issue.
“I hope that sessions like this could awaken their interest, build up their confidence and outlook to cricket and their life in general. I really hope they would benefit from their interaction with Dr Jackson and we could see their performances returning to the level it was at not so long ago,” Raphael said.
Former West Indies youth captains Leon Johnson and Steven Jacobs were among those invited but it is understood that Johnson and former Guyana 20/20 Keeper Tyrell Tull missed yesterday’s sessions because of their participation in a practice match at Bourda.
Jacobs, out of form opener Shemroy Barrington, out of favor Guyana players Chris Barnwell and Trevon Garraway along with Essequibo senior team all-rounder Delon Heyliger and ex-Guyana 20/20 player Orin Ford attended the sessions.
Dr Jackson said the sessions provided the youths a chance to do some self examination to help them explore themselves and psychological capabilities.
She wanted to conduct a 2-day session over the weekend but this plan had to be shelved since the 5th round of the Demerara cricket Board National 3-day first division competition is scheduled to commence today after a break for the festive season.
Raphael is hoping that the GCB can incorporate such sessions for struggling cricketers into their developmental and remedial programmes along with the technical and physical aspects of the programmes.
(Sean Devers)
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