By Lakhram Bhagirat
Hard work, determination, commitment and discipline are character traits that lead one to success and for Romario Shepherd, those are the traits he strives to embody. This year, the hard work is paying off since his dream of playing for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has been realised.
The 23-year-old all-rounder has been selected to be part of the Amazon Warriors’ squad, and his fans and supporters are all eager to see him in action. Romario was born in the mining town of Linden, but at a really young age, he moved to Berbice – a move that he described as the best one for him.
Berbice is quite often described as the cricketing heart of Guyana and, over the years, has produced splendid players. One of the most notable cricketers out of the Ancient County was the legendary batsman Rohan Kanhai. Kanhai scored 6227 Test runs for the West Indies including 16 centuries with his highest Test score being 256 not out versus India. The legend also scored 29,250 First Class runs from 421 matches with 89 centuries.
Romario says he looks up to the greats and hopes that one day his name would be among them. Reflecting on his childhood, he says that the move to Berbice was a good one, because of his love for the game. In
Linden, he says, more emphasis is placed on football or track events and although he likes other sports, cricket is his forever love. He fondly remembers waking up way past his bedtime to watch the West Indies play various matches.
He attended the Vrymen’s Erven Secondary School in New Amsterdam, and it was then that he was given the opportunity to get into the cricketing world. He was eventually selected to open the batting for his school’s team and scored a whopping 129 runs; from then, he never looked back.
“The first game I batted 129 and the next game I bowled 5-29 and after that I was introduced to Mr Carl Moore who was then the Guyana Senior Team Manager. I have learnt so much stuff from him about cricket and as a person off the field. His son, Julian Moore, who is also a Level 3 Coach now, was my first coach and he
helped me a lot; he will always message me when I’m on tour and stuff, giving me support.”
Romario says no matter how successful he becomes, he can never forget those who were instrumental in getting him to that point. He recalls receiving the news of his selection to the Warriors team as one of the best days of his life. He says just the mere thought of representing Guyana on such a large stage in a tournament of this magnitude makes him want to give it more than his all.
Romario’s cricketing style is very simple. Like many cricketers, he sticks to the basics and works hard during his training sessions since he is of the belief that fitness is important to being an all-rounder. He places much emphasis on being fit, since he is of the view that a fit fast bowler is the best fast bowler.
Now Romario is at his fittest and, according to him, he is ready to battle for the Warriors. Romario was the most successful fast bowler during the inaugural Jaguars Franchise League three-day tournament in 2016. He was outstanding with the ball and chipped in with the bat for his franchise. He would later make his List A debut against Leewards Hurricanes where he grabbed 3-37 from 10 overs and was named man of the match for his exceptional effort, which propelled his team to a comfortable seven-wicket victory at Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis in the Nagico Super50 2016.
Additionally, Romario was even part of the West Indies A team when they played against the England Lions in a recent series.
Romario believes that this year would be the year of the Guyana Amazon Warriors and that trophy would be coming home. He is hyped and super pumped to be back on the field and representing Guyana. He is ready to give it his all both on the field and off the field.
“For the youngsters just train because hard fitness is key when it comes to cricket. Be disciplined which is also key for your development on and off the cricket field and don’t let know one tell you that you can’t make it. Do the right thing and you will get your break. Be positive and patient because life is a process and it’s the same thing with cricket,” he advises.
Romario is a role model for a number of youngsters hoping to make a career out of cricket and it is a fact that he is well aware of hence the reason he always gives it his all on and off the field. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
