Hundreds of mourners turned out last Friday to pay their final respects to former Guyana and Essequibo cricketer, Shivanandan Madholall, who passed away a week ago following a brief period of illness.
The left-handed batsman, who represented Guyana at the Under-15 and Under-19 levels, as well as Essequibo at both the junior and senior levels, was 30.
At his home in Reliance on the Essequibo Coast, several persons paid tribute to the fallen cricketer, who was popularly known as “Rocky.”
During his time, Shivanandan played for the Reliance Sports Club, as well as the Cotton Field Wild Oats softball team.
Ato Christiani, representing the Essequibo Cricket Board, coach Vibert Johnson, Dianand Chetram of the Reliance Sports Club and former Essequibo batsman Elroy Stephney all made moving tributes, with the recurring theme being the shock passing of Shivanandan at such a young age.
They all reflected on his playing days, noting that he was a very good cricketer, who knew the game well.
The eulogy was delivered by elder brother and sports journalist, Ravendra Madholall, who reminisced on the life of Shivanandan, stating that he was both a brother and a friend.
Following those tributes, Shivanandan’s remains were taken to the La Union foreshore for cremation.
Prior to the lighting of the pyre, his teammates from Cotton Field Wild Oats and the Reliance Sports Club formed a guard of honour as they paid their last respects.
Shivnanand comes from a family with a rich cricketing history. His brothers Rovendra, Ravendra and Narendra all represented Essequibo at the Inter-County level. Rovendra went on to play for Guyana.
He leaves to mourn his father, mother, siblings, wife and two children, ages three years and four months.
