As the local cricket fraternity mourns the passing of veteran statistician and scorer, Ron Legall, senior commentator and journalist Joseph “Reds” Perreira and the Guyana Cricket Board have sent out sympathies.
Legall, 72, who passed away on August 3rd following a terminal illness, was one of the persons to turn to for accurate cricket records; something he took pride in compiling, according to the GCB’s release.
The GCB’s statement highlighted that Legall’s contribution to cricket in Guyana was vital and will always be remembered. He was a dedicated cricket scorer for radio during regional and international tournaments in Guyana, and an efficient statistician.
“He was courteous, helpful, humorous and a pleasant person, always trying to cheer others. He was also very devoted and passionate about his work. During his years as a book scorer and statistician, he tried to get others onboard with him; especially the youths. He even made himself available to train them”.
Perreira said Legall’s immense career spanned nearly 40 years and lauded the veteran for his work especially during an era where Cricinfo and Google were yet to be introduced.
Perreira described him as a “mild-mannered” gentleman who hardly lost his temper or raised his voice even in the most testing of situations. His career began with the Guyana Broadcasting Service (GBS) in October 1986.
Using a traditional scoring book, Legall did his cricket scoring and acquired stats from another veteran in Tony Cozier via his Cricket Annual, Wisden and Personal stats. He also volunteered time with the GCB, while holding a few seats during the Chetram Singh administration.
Perreira said that he was somewhat disappointed that Legall was never commissioned to write the Case Cup and Jones Cup competitions history as well as the performances by Guyanese at the national and international levels.
