When a visiting team enters Providence for a Regional 4-Day match against the Guyana Jaguars, they often wonder if that orange stand is filled to capacity.
Norman “Juice Man” Welch
The support that pitches from that part of the Stadium is striking, because there’s only one man in that entire stand. It’s Norman “Juice Man” Welch, one of the biggest, if not the biggest supporter of the Guyana Jaguars.
Welch witnessed most of the Jaguars home matches and at first hand, he was able to give an analysis of the
Kevin Sinclair appeals for a wicket
team’s performance in the 2020 Regional 4-Day season. He disclosed that Jaguars lacked mental strength in a rare ordinary season. “Jaguars trained well— that’s the first thing, but the mindset was not up to scratch. You have to leave a few mature players in the team to bring the youths them along,” Welch explained. He added that Captain Leon Johnson is one such player, who he described as a great leader.
Veerasammy Permaul
“When Jaguars lost, they did not lose in cricket; it was their mentality, we (Jaguars) can play, but the mindset played a role in the defeat.” The Juice Man is calling for some players to act in a more professional way and show more support. Welch, who is often seen as the ultimate 12th man of the Jaguars team and has been around training sessions, has called for players to desist from name calling which he described as immature. He noted that Jaguars had won for the past five seasons because of the collective team effort. However, not many players stand out on a consistent basis in terms of scoring the most runs every season. Welch was delighted with Veerasammy Permaul’s show, season after season. “He is number one in the Caribbean. I am still wondering the criteria Cricket West Indies (CWI) are using to select, but this has to be a plot, to keep this youngster out. What more Permaul has to do?” Welch asked. Permaul has been churning out strong performances with the ball and he took 500 First-Class wickets this season. The adamant cricket fan is asking for Permaul to get another opportunity to further develop into the Test spinner that he is. Recalling Jaguars’ eighth and final round clash, which was played at Providence in a day-night encounter, Welch disclosed that the team were rocked mentally which resulted in the loss, further affecting the team’s self-confidence. While Welch is calling for some players to make room for new blood, he is impressed with the coming of Kevin Sinclair. Welch explained that Sinclair has shown great promise with the ball, but the talented lad will also get better with bat in hand. “He also need to calm the proverbial butterflies, especially when he appeals for a wicket.” Welch will continue to roar for the Jaguars when the next regional tournament commences.