Adams is focused on personal fitness during Covid-19 lockdown Wants to see more cricket in Essequibo

Apr 17, 2020 Sports

---

By Zaheer Mohamed

Even though talented Essequibo all-rounder Ricardo Adams is not on the cricket field, he is working hard to ensure that his body remains fit by working out and performing his fitness drills on a daily basis at his home during the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The COVID-19 has induced lockdowns in the sporting world, but this has not dented the spirit of the all-rounder as he works to keep his fitness intact. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport yesterday, Adams said fitness is important and that he has placed a lot of emphasis in this area.
“As athletes we have to find a way to stay fit so that when the season resumes we will be in a position to execute to the best of our ability, stay fit, stay healthy,” he posited, as he urges fellow athletes not to forget about their personal fitness during the quarantine.
Ricardo Richard Adams was born on October 23rd, 1994 in Zeelandia, Wakenaam and started his career at the club and school levels there. He played for the Zeelandia Sports Club and his talent was spotted at a tender age; he was chosen to lead Essequibo at the U15 level before going on to represent the Guyana U15s.
He later turned out for Guyana at the U19 level and scored a century against Trinidad and Tobago in the regional competition. Adams then represented Guyana’s senior team in the Regional one-day tournament after performing outstandingly for Essequibo in the local franchise league in 2017.
His match winning 145 not out and his 5-51 against Lower Corentyne remains one of the best all-round performances at this level while his unbeaten 116 versus Georgetown at Tuschen was responsible for Essequibo taking the title, after they lost four early wickets, chasing 193. Essequibo continued their dominance at this level as they went on to take the 50-over title with Adams contributing significantly. The all-rounder was the leading wicket taker in the last CGI 50-over franchise league and narrowly missed out on national selection.
Adams said that he was pleased with his bowling performance in this competition in which he picked up two five-wicket hauls. “I just put the ball in the right areas so as to contain the batsmen. I tried to bowl with variation and control so as to keep the batsmen thinking and things worked well for me,” he stated.
The all-rounder noted that even though he got a couple of half centuries in that tournament, he would have liked to contribute more with that bat. “I was a bit over confident and my shot selection wasn’t to the best. I got some fine starts, but I would have liked to carry on. I intend to work harder in this area, especially with my concentration so as to bat for longer periods, scoring and keeping my wicket intact, thereby helping Essequibo to take the title in the next tournament.”
Adams is part of the CGI Academy system and feels that with the likes of Kemol Savory, Anthony Adams, Ronsford Beaton, Keemo Paul, Quentin Sampson, Kevin Boodie and Nokta Moses among others, Essequibo have what it takes to continue their dominance in franchise cricket. “We have a talented bunch of cricketers in our set up and we all have a good relationship whereas we support each other both on and off the field, so we gel together nicely and this helps us to play as team whenever we step on the green turf.”
The Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) is made up of eight area committees; Wakenaam, Leguan, East Bank, Central, North, South, Pomeroon and Bartica. However, cricket at the club and inter association levels is responsible for producing the goods for the county’s franchise system and Adams feels more cricket needs to be played at this level.
“We need to see more cricket being played in Essequibo so the players can be given more opportunities to showcase their talent there which will also help them to improve. Due to the geography of Essequibo, staging a tournament there can be difficult since sponsorship is hard to come by, so I would like to see the business community throwing their support behind the board so Essequibo can continue to produce talented cricketers.”
The ECB hosted a camp in 2019 and Adams said this is a move in the right direction so the young talent can be harnessed. “Those players at the age group level must take the game seriously and give their best whenever they turn out for their county and country,” he said, adding that such camps will help to instill discipline and encourage hard work.
Prior to the birth of local franchise cricket, the 25-year old Adams performed well at the inter-county level, scoring a fluent 97 against Demerara at Bourda and he continues to be one of the leading players in Essequibo.
He remains a permanent fixture in the senior team and is confident of regaining his spot in the Guyana senior team. “I am working hard to keep improving on my strengths and challenges and I am confident, once given the opportunity, of doing well for my country in all formats of the game.”
The left-handed batsman undoubtedly is one of the hardest and cleanest strikers of the cricket ball in Guyana; he now plays for Hyde Park on the East Bank of Essequibo and Police Sports Club in Georgetown.
His message to fellow Guyanese is to stay safe from the coronavirus by staying home and having fun indoors. Adams has extended condolences to former Guyana U19 cricketer Richie Looknauth whose mother passed away recently on the West Coast of Demerara.

 

---

---