‒ Leon Johnson says upon receiving national award
At 31, Guyana Jaguars cricket team captain Leon Johnson wears the tag of “best captain in the Caribbean”. He continued to prove his brilliance as a leader when he led Guyana Jaguars to a record fifth Regional 4-Day title in as many years. Fittingly, Johnson’s service for the country was recognized, and he was awarded the Golden Arrow of Achievement in the 2019 Investiture.
This is the fourth highest National Award in the Order of Service of Guyana, and Johnson, speaking to Guyana Times International Sport in an exclusive interview, expressed his extreme gratitude. “It’s a huge honour to…receive the Golden Arrow of Achievement at age 31, whilst I’m still playing cricket”, he declared.
The Jaguars captain who conferred with the national recognition on Friday last at the 2019 Investiture Ceremony held at the National Cultural Centre. He told this reporter that it was a great moment for his family and friends present, along with the cricket fraternity as a whole.
Reminiscing that in 2017 he was adjudged Guyana’s Sportsman of the Year, Johnson said, “I thought that was as good as it would get for me in terms of awards in Guyana, but this one (Golden Arrow of Achievement) surely surpasses that for me.”
Johnson has been a leading national figure in cricket, having played 109 First Class matches, wherein he recorded 5718 runs. Game savvy, with years of cricket remaining in him, Johnson played nine Test matches for the West Indies between 2014 and 2016, and has continued to lead the Guyana Jaguars team with finesse.
From inception of the 2014-15 edition of the Professional Cricket League (PCL) Franchise, better known as the Regional 4-Day Championships, the Johnson-led Jaguars have won eight of their 10 matches. The skipper had a good season with the bat, scoring 465 runs in 14 innings in the inaugural season.
The 2015-16 season may arguably be the most fruitful for Johnson. He scored an impressive 807 runs in 17 innings at an astonishing average of 57.64, and led the Jaguars to win the title for a second time.
His consistency was demonstrated when, in the 2016-17 season, he led the team to a third 4-Day title. He followed up that performance in 2017-18 with a score of 475 runs for the Jaguars. The most recent triumph came in 2018-19 when Johnson led the Jaguars to a fifth successive triumph in 4-day cricket.
Besides the Jaguars’ exceptional showing in 4-day cricket, Johnson has led the team to dominance in the Regional Super50 Cup, but they have not won the title in recent times.
Come November, Johnson is expected to lead the team in both Regional Tournaments, where he will be eying a double in the 2019-20 season.
With Guyana being considered as the strongest Regional team in the modern era, Johnson’s captaincy and its achievements are continuously being recognised in Guyana, and he is being inspired to push for grander and greater achievements.
