By Avenash Ramzan
“We’re elated, we’re excited about that!”
Those were the words of Coach Julian Moore when quizzed on the Tucber Park Cricket Club having three of its members featuring at the ICC Men’s World T20, which bowls off today in the USA.
All-rounder Romario Shepherd and fast bowler Shamar Joseph will turn out for West Indies at the global tournament, while the experienced fast bowler Jeremy Gordon will suit up for Canada.
While Shepherd and Joseph are still current members of the New Amsterdam-based club, Gordon, who first played First-Class cricket for Guyana back in 2007, was a member of the club before migrating to Canada.
Whenever he is on vacation in Guyana, Gordon would still play for the club.
“One of our ultimate goals- apart from providing the opportunity for kids to be meaningfully involved in sports- is to see these guys move forward and realise their dreams as international cricketers, but firstly representing Berbice and Guyana,” Moore, who is also the First Vice-president of the club, outlined in an interview with News Room Sport.
Cricket coach Julian Moore
“We’re super excited that these three players have been selected for the World Cup and hopefully we can see all three of them in action.”
Reflecting on the early years of the trio at the club, Moore recalled that Shepherd and Joseph were standouts, “setting themselves above their peers and their work ethic from probably 15-16 was second to none.”
“From then you could have seen the hunger and the drive and you always knew at the back of your mind that something special would have come from those two.”
“Jeremy, when he migrated (in 2008), was probably one of the quickest bowlers in Guyana. It was sad to see him leave, but it’s good to know that he went over there, kept his standard up and realised his dreams of playing a World Cup.”
Moore, a multiple title-winning youth coach for Guyana, said members of the club- which has also produced Guyana Harpy Eagles fast bowler Nial Smith and West Indies female player Tremayne Smarrt- are eagerly looking forward to the exploits of the trio on the “biggest stage of all.”
He had a few words of encouragement for them.
“I would just tell them to trust their abilities, just believe in yourself and go out there and give 110%,” Moore advised.
Shepherd, Joseph and Gordon are among seven Guyanese who will feature in the World T20.
All-rounder Sherfane Rutherford, batsman Shimron Hetmyer and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie have been selected for West Indies, while all-rounder Dilon Heyliger, who hails from Essequibo, will also turn out for Canada.
Canada will open their campaign in game one of the World Cup on Saturday night from 20:30h, facing neighbours USA in Dallas, while West Indies will start against Papua New Guinea on Sunday from 10:30h at the National Stadium, Providence.
Brief history
Shepherd, 29, has been a mainstay of West Indies limited-over sides in recent years, representing the Caribbean side in 36 T20 Internationals and 31 One-Day Internationals.
He has played 120 T20 matches in total, representing several franchises across the globe, namely Guyana Amazon Warriors, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants, Joburg Super Kings, Colombo Stars and Chattogram Challengers.
He has also played 72 List A games and 25 First-Class matches. Click here to view Shepherd’s numbers
The 24-year-old Joseph burst on to the international scene earlier this year, bowling West Indies to a historic Test win over Australia at the Gabba, taking 7-68 to inspire a series-levelling victory.
He finished his debut series with 13 wickets and subsequently earned a contract with Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. The fiery fast bowler also made his T20 International debut for West Indies in the recent series against South Africa. Click here to view Joseph’s numbers
Gordon, 37, who made his First-Class debut for Guyana against Leeward Islands at Albion in 2007, has appeared in 12 T20 Internationals, taking 17 wickets with a best of 3-6 versus Bermuda last October.
He also represented Canada in ODI cricket, playing 10 games. Click here to view Gordon’s numbers