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Former Mackenzie Sports Club players among others, remember Anthony ‘Antac’ Rigby as he is laid to rest
Former cricketers giving farewell yesterday outside Sandy’s Funeral Home. Among them, third from left, Eion Duncan, Roger Harper, Orin Gordon and Godfrey Edwards.
Kaieteur Sports – As final respects were given to former Guyana Under19 batter, Anthony ‘Antac’ Rigby yesterday at the Sandy’s Funeral Home in Georgetown, before he was laid to rest at the LeRepentir Cemetery, a number of former Mackenzie Sports Club cricketers turned up as well as former National captain Roger Harper, while other colleagues sent tributes on his passing.
United States-based former fast bowler Aubrey Quamina recalled: “We all played for MSC late 79’s to early 80’s. Riggers was an accomplished batsman who showed his talent at an early age. In fact, he started to play for first division (Case Cup) cricket at the tender age of 16.
However, he did well and played for the Guyana Under19 team where he met his good friend Gus Logie who played for Trinidad, and went on to play test cricket for the West Indies.”
Another United States-based former MSC cricketer Louis Chapman said: “I first met Antac in a schools’ Under12 game organized by the late Eustace Johnson. He played then as an off spinner who bowled us out and won the match for his school. We went on to play Under 14,16 and 19 cricket teams, for Upper Demerara, and during that period he moved from being our off spinner to become our most accomplished batsman and eventually played youth cricket for Guyana. After MSC was demoted to 2nd division cricket, Northcote Cup, he went to Georgetown to continue his rise in cricket playing for one of the premier teams in the country, Police.”
Basil Butcher Jr. another colleague at MSC, who is also based in the United States, when contacted offered: “There was a funny incident back in 1976 when Mackenzie Sports Club was playing GSC in a Case Cup match. Riggers came into bat when Croft was bowling, and Croft didn’t come as hard at Riggers, saying he was a lil boy. Riggers played two top shelf shots, and Croft said this is nah no lil boy and gave him a short one and knocked Riggers down.
I think Riggers was very talented but did not put in the required work to be the best that he could be despite my Dad’s insistence that he do so. I remembered at practice with Quamina, Edwards, Grenville and Haley et al firing on the basketball court no one looked more comfortable than Riggers. As we called him way back, Antac, Rest in Peace.”
Former Guyana left arm pacer Godfrey Edward’s remembered Rigby saying, “He was one of the most talented batsmen Linden has ever produced. He was the Carl Hooper of Linden, technically sound but never used to make the runs.”
“A very outstanding player playing all the shots, as he does choose the wrong ball to play some of his shots. So talented he could hit the ball anywhere, anytime.
A very talented batsman and a likeable person, He was the best friend you could have gotten.”
Former national pacer Orin Gordon, who now resides in Linden, said he got to know Rigby in the 1980s and he was one of the cricketers who was always fun loving and one who you would gravitate to. “While we did not play for the same club, we played national trials together and he and Sydney Matthews were always the live wires. He was a member of the Guyana Youth team to Barbados in 1981 where he acquitted himself well. He may not have gone on to play for the Senior team, but he was a valued member of the cricketing fraternity.”
Rigby’s remains was laid to rest at the LeRepentir Cemetery.
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