As franchise cricket continues, head coach of the Professional Cricket league (PCL) defending champions (Essequibo) Ryan Hercules is optimistic about his team’s performance. Under the coaching of the experienced Hercules the Essequibo side have improved drastically, adding the title of 2018 PCL Champs under their belt.
Ryan Hercules
Hercules made his debut for Guyana in the 2003 Regional Under-15 tournament. He later represented Guyana in the 2005 TCL Group West Indies Regional Under-19 tournament, played in the Windwards, and then in the 2006 TCL Group West Indies Regional Under-19 tournament, played in Guyana. So impressive was he in the field during the 2006 regional Under-19 competition that he was named Best Fielder and Most Valuable Player (MVP) of that series. Hercules played first division cricket in Trinidad from 2007-2009 before securing a contract as the overseas player for Shadwell Cricket Club, in Yorkshire. At Shadwell, he did not disappoint. In 2009 he played 41 matches, scored 1,190 runs (at an average of 38.39) and took 65 wickets at 13.50 apiece, and bowled with blistering pace. Shadwell retained Hercules for another season and in 2010 he scored 1,090 runs at an average of 41, and took 75 wickets at 11.10. From there he has had many other successes that landed him the role of head coach for the Essequibo side.
Hercules shares his experience with GAW opening batsman Chandrapaul Hemraj
In a sit down with this publication, when asked the feeling of coaching a successful side, Hercules said, “Well it’s a good feeling to know I’m coaching a successful side, the guys put in a lot of work and it’s paying off for them. My motivation comes from seeing and wanting the guys to do well and excel them self on and off the field. We have the experienced Ronsford Beaton in our side which is a huge boost, in terms of my expectation from him, it’s great to have him in the team, he is a very great player and a match winner. He knows his role in the team and what he wants to achieve in the tournament, we talked about it before the tournament started what is expected of him and with his level of experience he knows what is expected of him, so we can defend our title.”
He also noted that during off season when them isn’t franchise cricket, the players and himself are still active, in preparation for the coming season. “Most of the players play cricket for my club police sports club so we get to work out /train together even when there is no franchise cricket. We have the outdoor cricket facility at Parika ground that was donated by the Guyana cricket board, so we also use that to do practice as well.” He relayed that fitness plays a key role in his unit as the game of cricket has change rapidly over the years and thus requires a faster paced approached, therefore stressing that fitness is key.
Hercules also added that while he has gained experience over his years in cricket, his time apart of the Guyana Amazon Warriors coaching set up has been beneficial to him. “It was a good experience being around Johan Botha and learning a few things from him it’s a plus for me because I can help my guys (Essequibo team) to improve their game.”
