Rampertab Ramnauth is the best U-15 batsman in Guyana

Mar 02, 2020 Sports

Rampertab Ramnauth gathers leg-side runs

– Says he does not like T20 Cricket

By Sean Devers
On December 4, 2005 in the Corentyne Village of Port Mourant, West Indies Under-15 batsmen Rampertab Ramnauth made a quiet entry into this world.
Rampertab was born to Roopnarine Ramnauth and Lilowtie Lacchminarine and is one of nine siblings, five of whom are girls.
Rampertab gravitated to cricket like a duck to water after his interest for the national sport was sparked by his father who played club cricket for Port Mourant; a club that produced Test players John Trim, Ivan Madray, Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Joe Soloman, Alvin Kallicharran and Mahendra Nagamootoo.
The talented left-hander attended the Tain Primary school and Port Mourant Secondary and is now a fourth form student of RVC, preparing to write CXC exams next year.
Rampertab joined Port Mourant as an eight-year-old and made his Inter-County Under-15 debut as a 12-year-old after making 51 against Rose Hall Canje in his debut U-15 game for PM in 2016.
Last year he became the youngest player to participate in the CWI franchise league (Guyana’s highest domestic tournament) when he was picked in the Upper Corentyne Squad at the age of 13 after returning from the West Indies under-16 team last year August.
A key member of the Guyana team which will participate in this year’s Regional U-15 tournament slated for April in Antigua, this is his third U-17 tournament after being a standby for Guyana last year.
Last year when Guyana lost by .1 of a point to U-15 Champions T&T, Rampertab had scores of 114, 0, 57, 8 and 92 which led to his Windies U-16 selection along with fellow Guyanese Mavindra Dindyal and fast bowler Isiah Thorne.
In last year’s U-15 Inter-County tourney, Rampertab scored a brilliant 141 for Berbice against Essequibo at Lusignan.
He was among seven batsmen with half-centuries in the just concluded U-17 Inter-County tournament scoring the most runs (136), while fighting above his weight class; to use a Boxing terminology.

Ramnauth misses a cut at a wide from John Persad at Bourda.

His runs were more than the tournament’s best batsman, Dindyal and fellow Berbician Mahendra Gopilall; the other two batsmen reach 100 runs from their three matches.
Ramnauth (78), Gopilall (58 & 54), Zeynul Ramsammy (50), Shemar Yearwood (54), Dindyal (50), Jaden Campbell (58) and Aryan Persaud (51*) were the batsmen with half-centuries.
The Regional U-17 tournament is set for June in Trinidad and Rampertab should be an automatic selection for the Guyana team.
Regional U-19 competition should be played in August and with good performances in the Inter-County U-19 tournament, he could follow in the footsteps of fellow Port Mourant batsman Roopnarine Ramgobin, the only player to represent the West Indies at U-15 and U-19 levels in the same year.
“I know education is the key to success and I am writing seven CXC subjects next year, but I still want play for Guyana and then West Indies in Test Cricket. So I have to focus on cricket and studies… I go to school and then go to practice from Monday to Fridays, then when I go home I do my studying in the nights,” informed Rampertab who says his favorite subject is maths.
“I don’t go to lessons but don’t watch TV unless it showing cricket and I enjoy studying my school work and reading…. don’t really play other sports,” says Rampertab who loves the cover drive.
Rampertab says his favourite batsman is Indian right-hander Virat Kholi because of his talent, technique and his professional attitude to his cricket and training.
“I do pitch practice two days a week, do short sprints, fielding and catching and training on the other days,” said Rampertab who says the hardest part of cricket is the training.
“My most memorable match is last January when I made 265 against Number 73 in the U-15 competition. I hit 28 fours and 17 sixes and was LBW in the 41st over. But I prefer two innings cricket and don’t like T20 cricket,” says Rampertab who loves fish broth.
Asked how many runs he would want to score in the U-15 tournament in Antigua, Rampertab said he does not set goals and just wants to make the most runs he can and do his best to help Guyana win this year.
“My father, my family, Berbice Cricket Board President Mr Foster and my Coach Leslie Solomon are among the main people who have helped and supported me with my cricket,” concluded Rampertab who says he can also bowl part-time leg-spin.
As Berbice continue to churn out talented young batsmen like Shimron Hetmyer and Kevlon Anderson, Rampertab Ramnauth, who turns 15 in December, is the best U-15 batsman in Guyana and is certainly another emerging talent to keep an eye on.