Our Test Star Noel Guishard
This test match should encourage our younger guys especially those in the national team. It is an ideal chance for them to weight themselves against what they are seeing live and in living colour. It should be a good motivational factor at the end of the day.
Although touring teams have passed through St. Kitts and played warm up games this one is going to be different. The playing out there will be playing for all the marbles and not just looking for batting practice or bowling warm up before some other important game. This is it for all the marbles.
In fact the third test of a 4 test series may be the series decider so this really is serious business. Guys like Shane (Jeffers) Esroy (Powell) Steve (Liburd) and Jacques (Taylor) not to think negative because we have never had a test player from so many good options but really to tell themselves this is my chance after seeing what the West Indies have to offer. This is the view of Noel Guishard one of our own test stars.
Noel Guishard a quiet and unassuming man but when the statistics are examined we can see that he is one of our own test stars. Can you imagine what it was like for an off spinner to be competing in an era when “Pace” was in? The West Indies in particular was looking a four prong pace attack and the options that were up against Guishard in the Combined Islands were:- Roberts, Davis , the Benjamin brothers (Winston and Kenneth) Thomas Kentish, (another right arm off spinner from Dominica) Hinds, Willette and Parry.
Guishard started his regional cricket for Leewards in 1980 and throughout his career had the distinction of being the first all rounder to reach cherished milestone of 100 wickets and 1000 runs. Others have come behind him but Guishard was the first ever: there cannot be another first in that category.
Apart from Leewards, Guishard represented the Combined Islands during the period 1981 -1992 and was featured in the team that won the regional competition in 1981. He has seen and played against international teams like England in 1981 and also in 1984 and played against the Kim Hughes Australians in 1985. A that time it was a test team touring with people like Kepple Weasels, Hogg, and Rackerman. Guishard scored an even half century (50) against them and picked up two vital wickets in the match.
Guishard was well known for many rescue missions batting in the tail as it were. A 180 run partnership with Rolston Otto of Antigua while both were playing for Leewards against Barbados was more than life saving after the Leewards was reduced to 60 for 6 was the most remarkable remembered.
He continued this habit even down to the time when Livingston Harris joined the Leewards team and together they built up a reputation as the reliable guys. On numerous occasions scoring vital partnership to bring their team back into the match.
It is important to note that even though he was selected as a bowler Guishard has scored a half century against every opposition in the region.
His best bowling figures was in Dominica where he grabbed 6 for 39 against Trinidad for Combined Islands.
Guishard admired Lawrence Rowe who was really a classy player and who at times proved to be problematic to dislodge but indicated that he always felt that he could have gotten him and on one occasion clean bowled him when he attempted one of his favourite cut shots. Other impressive batsmen in his mind were Alvin Kallicharan and Gordon Greenidge.
When asked to compare cricket in the 21st century to the thirty years ago Guishard had this to say. “There is a complete change in the generation today. The passion that we guys had is non existent today. Clearly the level of competition within and between teams cannot be compared with our times. Moreover it is clear that even at the test level the players still have a lot to do”. Guishard summarized.
After leaving the game at the regional level Guishard involved himself in almost every aspect of the game. He one of our leading grounds men and pitch curators on the islands and still his the mainstay behind a rebuilding Molineux team that have some of the leading young players in St. Kitts today.
His current job as a coach in the Ministry of Sports places him as a part of the highly praise schools’ coaching programme that have churned out very good U13, U 15 teams.
“The talent seems to be always there at those levels but somehow we lose them after that”. He said.
Guishard served as a selector for several years and at present is a member of the St. Kitts Cricket Association. He is currently working hard to make the one day, test match and World Cup Cricket in St. Kitts a reality.