CRANDON, Royston Tycho
D.O.B: May 31, 1983 (Berbice)
Teams: Berbice, Guyana, West Indies
Royston Crandon is a right-handed middle order batsman, converted opener and steady off-spin bowler who has represented the West Indies in a solitary One Day International to date. On the local scene he turns out for the Rose Hall Youth and Sports Club and has been an integral part of the Berbice team in the different versions of inter-county competitions for several years.
His consistent performances at the domestic level earned him a place on the national team in 2007 to contest matches in both the Regional four-day Carib Beer tournament and the 50-over KFC Cup.
Opening the batting for Guyana against the Windward Islands at the Tanteen Recreation Ground in Grenada he announced himself in grand style by becoming the first Guyanese to record a Regional One Day century on debut, creaming 101 before he was run-out.
Though his effort was in a losing cause he had done enough to be rewarded with a first-class debut in the Carib Beer match against the Trinidadians at Guaracara Park a few days later.
After the auspicious start, Crandon did little of note that season, ending with a first-class average of 15.85 in four matches and a limited overs average of 32.66 from six encounters.
He fell away badly in 2008, playing only one four-day game in which he scored a solitary run and then averaged a miserly 7.25 per innings over four duels in the KFC limited overs version.
However, he bounced back in the 2009 first-class season to aggregate 561 runs in eight matches as his average shot up to a commendable 43.15 per innings and in the process he constructed his maiden (and to date his only) first-class century – a solid unbeaten 136-against the Barbadians at Providence.
He also snarled six victims with his uncomplicated off-spin at 32.66 runs apiece and took a career-best 3-39 against Jamaica at Guyana National Stadium.
The utility player also had a fair President’s Cup 50-over tournament, scoring at 24.33 runs per match over four games and capturing nine wickets at 21.33 runs each, including 4/25 against the Combined Campuses and Colleges.
His improved performance caused him to be picked for the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa in September 2009 when the cream of the regional team withheld their services in dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board.
Crandon was involved in one match against India which the opponents won handsomely by seven wickets with a whopping 17.5 overs to spare.
Inexplicably, he batted at number eight in the order and got to five before he was bowled by the off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. His services as a bowler were not utilised at all.
Later the same year he brought his new-found experience to bear on the regional limited overs tournament in which he averaged an excellent 70.00 runs per innings over four matches but his returns in the 2010 four-day competition were below par.
Crandon has also participated in several T20 contests to date and was part of Guyana’s failed defence of the regional title in 2008, their thrilling capture of the title in 2010 coupled with the team’s dismal performance in the Airtel South African championship which followed, and the recent surrendering of the trophy earlier this month (January 2011).
In the 2010 semi-final clash against defending champions Trinidad and Tobago, he snatched three wickets in the final over to ensure that the team dubbed as favourites were knocked out of the competition.
Crandon is also an excellent fielder anywhere especially in the deep where he has held some spectacular catches.
RECORD:
ODIs 1: RUNS 5: AVG 5.00:   HS: 5 vs India, Johannesburg, 2009
(Digicel: Guyana’s Bigger, Better Network)