By Marissa V. Foster
NIGEL Deodat is an 18-year-old up and coming cricketer from the village of Blarimont, West Berbice. It is a village that is mostly known for its sugar estate and its rich preservation of the Indo-Guyanese culture. Deodat hopes he can add his cricketing ambitions to that list. At the age of five, he lost his father. He found comfort in holding a bat and ball and at the age of 13, he started to take the game more seriously. Deodat alongside his coach worked tirelessly. He explained that “My coach and I took it step by step. Through that hard work, I managed to play for the Blairmont Blazers. I also represented Guyana in all junior levels.” Nigel played for the Guyana under-15 team in 2016 and played for the Guyana under-17 team in 2018 and he was also on standby for the Guyana under-19 team as of last year.

Deodat mentioned that last year was quite a tough year for him. “It was tough because although I worked and practised very hard, I did not get selected but that did not break me”. Deodat further stated, “I used it as my motivation now to keep doing better than before and I am now learning from my mistakes of last year to do better this year.” This cricketer wants young cricketers like himself to use his story as an example to always do better; to know that they should keep on trying and pushing forward, even if they’re not selected when they’d hope to be. Deodat is a bowling all-rounder at the county level. However, at the club level, he is the opening batsman for the first division selection of the Blairmont Blazers. His best score is a whopping 132 against the team of Bushlot, while his best bowling figures are 8 for 38 against the West Berbice Cricket Team.

Nigel is adamant that cricket administrators must organise junior competitions for youths like himself to be active and to play for a greater purpose. This will encourage the “youngsters” to keep playing the game and will give them the motivation to progress for their future careers in cricket. He would also like to ask that administrators and boards donate more cricket gear to those young and upcoming cricketers like himself who cannot afford it. He stressed that while it is one’s talent that makes one a good cricketer, personal gear also improve one’s skills and confidence. Cricketers also need sch gear to stay protected; especially in light of COVID-19, it is always better to have your own equipment.
Nigel is striving to make his name known in every household across Guyana. He is hopeful that he can put his village Blairmont on the map and that one day he can give back to the people there who have made him who he is today. He is also grateful for the love and support he’s received from the women in his life; his mother and grandmothers, while not forgetting that God is his main motivation for his past and future successes.