Thu, Feb 5, ’04 by MICHELLE MCDONALD
On a day when the West Indies sunk to its lowest ODI total in history, a tall, young, promising Jamaican fast bowler returned his best bowling figures in First Class cricket. I sat with Andrew Richardson during the lunch interval on Day 3 – the day following this inspired performance in the recent Carib Beer encounter between Barbados and hosts Jamaica, at Sabina Park.
I had to admit to Andrew that I was one of the faithful West Indies fans who stayed home last Sunday to watch the side’s woeful performance. The West Indies team was bulldozed by the South Africans early, thereby allowing me to go to Sabina Park after all, but Richardson had already completed his bowling figures: 13-3-36-4. That’s not his best figures in cricket though. In his youth, he once took 9-30 in the Jackie Hendricks Under-14 competition in 1996. Andrew will talk much more about his cricket, his injury, his aspirations and more in a later submission.
Today, we’re telling you mainly about the personal side of Andrew Peter Richardson. When I asked him the standard question “Who is Andrew Richardson?” he paused in thought for a bit then said “Andrew Richardson – fun loving, hard working, he knows how to enjoy himself, knows how to have a good time.” Known as the joker in the Jamaican team, in terms of always keeping the guys smiling, he recognizes that there is a time and place for everything. The business-like tone comes in when he quickly follows his summation of himself with “when is serious time, is serious time.”
Throughout the interview, you could see he meant that, our chat being interspersed with his chuckling and “guffawing” but returning to be serious when we were talking about serious stuff.
Born some 22 years ago in Tivoli Gardens, Kingston, Richardson moved soon after to grow up in the expanding community of Portmore, St Catherine. Going on to Kingston College (KC) after attending Waterford Primary, Andrew then met up with well-known schoolboy coach Roy McLean. I visited Coach McLean at KC to hear what he had to say about young Richardson.
“When I saw him first, he was very athletic and he was interested in bowling fast and I believe this is a good combination – an athletic person who can run and jump who wants to do cricket. He was very keen. He was a very good competitor, probably sometimes he might have gone overboard the way he wanted to do well, and as Captain (of the U-19 Sunlight Cup team) he wouldn’t be afraid to rough his young boys into understanding that it’s a tough hard game that you’re playing. This was one of his qualities. The boys always tell you when Richie is captain you don’t fool around because he’s going to come in and if a man messes up on the field, Richie would just look at him. That would be sufficient. He was always over 6 feet tall so he had a commanding stature and presence.”
As Captain, “Richie” as he is more commonly known, was able to motivate his team to win the Sunlight Cup, the symbol of supremacy in schoolboy cricket in Kingston and parts of St Catherine. According to Coach McLean, he led from the front. “He was very enthusiast, very knowledgeable. He takes time out to understand the game and to ask a lot of questions,” McLean said.
Combining sports and academics can prove challenging to teenagers, but Andrew obviously took his schoolwork seriously. Here’s an excerpt from our chat…
MM: You were playing senior cup while you were at KC
AR: Yes.
MM: How did that work – school and cricket?
AR: Senior Cup is on the weekend…
MM: Yes, but don’t you have to study on the weekend?
AR: When you have the time you study, when you don’t fall asleep (chuckling). Well we practice down by KC, practice finish like about 5 o’clock so that’s when the practice starts at Kingston so we do some batting down by KC, just a bit of bowling – save our energy to come up to Kingston to bowl to the better batsmen.
MM: How did you do academically in high school?
AR: 6 CXC subjects. Didn’t do A levels.
MM: And that was enough to get you into UTECH (University of Technology)?
AR: Yes.
MM: (chuckling) They didn’t let you in because you’re Andrew Richardson, aspiring West Indies fast bowler?
AR: (laughing) No, no. I got my school work
MM: So tertiary education is something that you want to have to fall back on.
AR: Yes
MM: And tell me exactly the degree that you’re doing?
AR: It’s a degree in Computer Information Technology.
Richardson clearly has a good head on his shoulders, ensuring that he pursues tertiary education in order to have better opportunities later on in life. Perhaps he has his mother and father to thank for instilling in him the value of education. He comes from a family where he is one of 4 boys. Andrew is the only cricketer in the family which shows its support by “always making sure I have clothes in the bag, when I’m leaving from home! They re just always supportive asking ‘how did the game go.’ Some of the time, they come and watch, when they have the time because they have things to do. They come when they can.”
The answer to the question “who is your best friend” surprised me. Read on about that and more…
MM: Who is or who are your best friend(s)?
AR: My mother is one of my best friends.
MM: So you tell her everything.
AR: ALMOST everything, you can’t tell your mother everything. Can’t tell your mother EVERYTHING. (chuckling).
MM: Ok, so apart from your mother…
AR: I have 3 really close friends that when I’m in Jamaica, I’m always with those guys. They’re really close friends.
MM: What are some of the things you like to do with these friends in your spare time?
AR: Basically just chat, go out whenever we have the time, spend time with each other talk about what’s happening when we’re not seeing each other.
It was now time to talk about “favourites.”. Favourite song, favourite place to hang out and such the like.
MM: Of all the countries you have been to, whether for cricket or holiday, which do you like the best and why?
AR: Australia. It’s a beautiful place. Far, but nice. Pretty, pretty place and the people are friendly.
MM: Which ground is your favourite one to play on and why?
AR: Sabina Park even though the crowd give you a hard time, but Sabina Park because this is my home club. I play for Kingston Cricket Club and I get most of my success here.
MM: Favourite song?
AR: Seal – Kissed by a Rose
MM: Favourite singer?
AR: Babyface
MM: Favourite way to spend a day?
AR: Sleep all day.
MM: Favourite restaurant in Jamaica?
AR: I don’t have a favourite restaurant.
MM: Favourite outfit?
AR: Jeans, T-shirt.
MM: Favourite hang-out spot in Jamaica?
AR: Home with the boys.
MM: Favourite way to relax and chill-out apart from sleeping?
AR: Clubbing. I’ve never been to the Quad as yet, but I go to Asylum regularly. Not the Quad as yet, cricket going on so I can’t go out. (jokingly) I don’t want anybody see me out partying and cricket playing next day.
The last comment was tongue-in-cheek in reference to the recent allegations that members of the West Indies team were seen out late partying during a tour match in South Africa. As Andrew likes to sleep, he would no doubt prefer snoozing to clubbing, while playing cricket.
Naturally, I have to ask him about food too. An animated Richardson responds as follows, “pulling my leg” in the process.
MM: Is your favourite food still oxtail with rice and peas?
AR: Yes
MM: Can you cook both?
AR: Not even the rice alone.
MM: So you can’t cook at all.
AR: No
MM: You can boil water? (jokingly)
AR: Yeah man. (pauses and then bursts out into a laugh) Me can cook man, me can cook rice and dem tings. Is joke ah joking.
He had me fooled. A joker indeed. Here I was thinking “typical…just typical.”
But Andrew Richardson is anything but typical. Wise beyond his years, and having benefited from leadership experience at high school, Richardson does seem to be a hard worker, able to overcome the obstacles that he might encounter along the way.
Perhaps aside from getting back to the top of his game after injury, the next biggest obstacle off the field will be getting that dream car of his. And no, it’s not a Hummer. Bowlers who bowl beamers must drive “bimmers.”. An X-5, no less. Says the ambitious Richardson “That’s going to happen in the next couple of years.”
Clearly a man with a plan. This is Andrew Richardson.
* Editor’s Note: After this interview was completed, Richardson bettered his personal best in a subsequent Carib Beer Cup match against Kenya, picking up 5-42 from 18 overs.