A tribute to Milton Robert Pydana aka ‘Golden Gloves Man’
Apr 16, 2025
27 January 1950 – 15 April 2025
By Charwayne Walker
Kaieteur Sports- Milton Robert Pydana, the only Guyanese wicketkeeper that featured for the West Indies in One Day Internationals has transitioned to be with his maker and the cricket fraternity in Berbice and Guyana is saddened.
Pydana is a former Berbice and Guyana Captain who first represented the Golden Arrowhead as Milton Primo at the 1969 Bat Youth Championship in Trinidad and Tobago, under the captaincy of the late, Keith Aaron. He made a spectacular debut against the twin island, taking five (5) catches behind the stumps.
Milton Pydana (Mark Azharuddin Cricketnews History Features)
Two years later, Pydana made his senior regional first-class debut against Barbados at the mecca, Kensington Oval in 1971. Pydana played an integral role in the Police team’s dominance of first division cricket in the early seventies.
After becoming a regular in the Guyana team from 1975, he scored his first, first class century for Berbice against Demerara in 1978 at the GCC Ground, Bourda in the Inter County final. A genius behind the stumps, he also took five catches in the Demerara second innings, a feat still unmatched in First Class cricket by a Guyanese wicketkeeper.
Pydana caught the eyes of the West Indies selectors after a consistent 1980 Shell Shield championship. He would always talk about is 117 versus Jamaica at Jarret Park that saved Guyana from an outright defeat.
That Jamaica team included the likes of Michael Holding. So impressed with Pydana’s efficiency behind the stumps in 1980, the West Indies selectors choose him as the late David Murray’s under study for 1980/81 Tour of Pakistan. He featured in two One Day Internationals on that tour.
After helping Guyana win the double Shell Shield and Geddes Grant Championships in 1983, Pydana was the West Indies standby wicketkeeper for the 1983 ICC World Cup in England. Later that year, he toured India with the Sir Clive Lloyd led West Indies team as Jeffrey Dujon’s under study and played a single One Day International against the host.
No other Guyanese wicketkeeper has ever featured for the West Indies in an ODI to date. His proudest moment representing Guyana was 1985 as Captain and led the Land of the majestic Kaieteur to the Geddes Grant Harrison line Championship, defeating Jamaica in the final at the GCC Ground, Bourda.
Former West Indies player, Carl Hooper started under the captaincy and mentorship of the late Milton Pydana in the 1985 Shell Shield and Geddes Grant Harrison Line Championship. Hooper scored his first, first class century, 128 against Barbados at the Mecca, Kensington Oval in 1985.
He is the only wicketkeeper to lead Guyana to a Regional One Day Championship. Pydana also played first-division cricket in Georgetown for GCC in 1980 and the GDF. This humble but great son of the soil played his last Regional First-Class match for Guyana against the Leeward Islands at the Antigua Recreation ground in St. John’s in the 1988 Red Stripe Cup.
His daughter, Marcia, represented Guyana at the Caricom Basketball Championships in Trinidad and Tobago in 1986 and in Guyana in 1988. She also toured Barbados in 1985.
Sleep on champ, you could not be called the finest if you did not pass through the hottest fire. A posthumous Medal of Service is more than deserving for this icon and player who gave 17-years to the West Indies and Guyana teams, combined.
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