The Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) yesterday stated that it was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Coach Michael ‘Franco’ Hyles and wished to extend condolences to his family, colleagues and the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB).
In a statement issued yesterday, the ECB stated, “Coach Hyles was a loved and respected coach who had an eye for technical flaws in players and the know-how to correct those flaws.”
The ECB statement highlighted that Hyles was one of four coaches, along with Alfred Maycock, Vibert Johnson and Forbes Daniels to run the first and only summer academy back in the early 2000s with players from that academy going on to represent Guyana at the junior level.
Hyles was also the coach of the Essequibo Franchise team which won the 2016/2017 senior three-day tournament, the first and only time ever that Essequibo has won a senior three-day tournament.
Some Essequibo players who have fond memories of Hyles are Antony Adams Ryan Hercules, David Wallace and Norman Fredericks.
Even though he was a stern and serious coach, they remember the humorous side of him, when he served as chairman of the national junior selection panel.
“They asked him why he had three pens…blue, black and red, his reply was “When I mark ‘yuh’ [your] name in blue, yuh gone through(selected), when I mark in black, next year yuh coming back, but when I mark in red yuh dead(out like south),” the statement expressed.
“Coach Michael ‘Franco’ Hyles’ name has now been written in red and although we know that it will never again be written in black, his commitment was genuine and true when it was written in blue. May his soul have the eternal rest in peace it deserves.”
