Berbice Under – 15 off-spinner Jonathan Rampersaud in his maiden Inter-County tournament looks like a decent off-spin prospect in the making.
The tall, slimly-built, off-spinner, kept his county’s rich spin bowling tradition alive by bamboozling his peers to capture 15 wickets which were more than enough to help spin his County to back-to-back titles.
Rampersaud, who bowls the new ball – a custom which has snuck its way into the modern emergence of the sport – and later returns to tweak the older ball, will play a central role in Guyana’s Regional U15 title bid, later this year.
The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club spinner bowled with confidence throughout the tournament and bagged 4-21 against the President’s XI in Berbice’s first match.
He then grabbed 5-12 against Demerara, 4-13 versus Essequibo and 2-15 in the final, played against Demerara.
His stellar performances earned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at the end of the tournament and his should be one of the first names on the selection sheet for the upcoming Regional under – 15 tournament.
While it is early days yet in his career, those figures suggest that there is something there to work with, which is all that is needed for the Guyana Cricket Board to keep a keen interest on his progression.
Rampersaud, at the conclusion of the tournament, indicated to Stabroek Sport that he is reaping the fruits of the hard work he put in ahead of the tournament.
The 13-year-old also pointed out that the instructions of his coaches also played a crucial role in his success.
He heaped praises on his club mates, Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair and Kevin Sinclair for the tips and general advice they would have given to him.
Even though his bowling is currently in the spotlight and duly so, he is also known for his batting ability.
While he acted in the capacity as deputy to Zeynol Ramsammy in Berbice’s unbeaten title run, Rampersaud may also find himself leading the national side since he is perhaps the only player who would have selected himself and has been earmarked as a future leader.
