PANAJI : Former Goa allrounder Jerry Fernandes,57, passed away at his Porvorim residence on Thursday.
According to sources, Jerry was struggling with health.
He was a diabetic and used to regularly undergo dialysis at a city hospital.
Jerry played nine matches for Goa, taking 16 wickets at an average of 57.62, while scoring one half century.
He donned colours for Stamina CC, Panjim Gymkhana and Chowgule CC.
Born in Pune, he was among the probables for the Maharashtra Ranji Trophy team.
However, he chose to ply his trade in Goa.
“For me, he was a mentor and motivator,” said former Goa cricketer Sudin Kamat.
“The year I made my debut, he played his last season for Goa in 94-95.
We played together for a long time for Panjim Gymkhana.
He bowled beautifully and as a lower-order batsman saved many matches for Panjim Gymkhana as well as Goa.”.
Others said Jerry was a quick learner.
He quickly adapted to the demands of the game and could bowl left-arm orthodox too, giving captains an additional option.
Aditya Tarcar, who captained Panjim Gymkhana in the 80s, was all praise for the cricketer.
“Some people were made for cricket.
Jerry was one of them.
He was a captain’s delight.
I remember when Sharad Pednekar left us, we had a vacuum of pacer.
Fernandes joined us and with Sudin Kamat and Jayesh Shetty, they formed a deadly trio,” said Tarcar.
Once Panjim Gymkhana were bowled out for 110 against Dayanand Gymkhana on a wet pitch in Bandodkar trophy in 1984-85.
By the time they went for lunch, the pitch had eased out for batting.
“Jerry was eager to go out and said, ‘We will not eat before getting them out’.
Such was his dedication.
With Jayesh and Fernandes, we bowled them out for 29.
I still remember his words,” said Tarcar.
He was popular among the opposition too.
Jude Cardozo, former Goa wicketkeeper batsman, said, “He never got angry.
As a pacer, he should have been aggressive, but he let the ball do all the talking and never sledged.
In fact, after beating batsmen, he used to look at them and smile.
He was too good and ideal sportsperson,” said Cardozo.
Girish Parekh, another former Goa cricketer and member of the Ranji Trophy selection committee, reflected on his dedication for the game.
“Usually, pacers have limited life, but Jerry worked hard to keep it up.
He had lovely variations and to have a left-arm pacer was a novelty and unique thing for Goa,” said Parekh.