President Dr Irfaan Ali, on Thursday morning, met with West Indies fast bowling great, Sir Curtly Ambrose. The two shared ideas and had a comprehensive discussion about the game.
President of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Hilbert Foster, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, who is a patron of the BCB and two young cricketers, Jonathan Rampersaud and Surendar Kissoonlall, also attended the meeting.
Sir Curtly is in Guyana to conduct a three-day fast bowling clinic in Berbice.
The coaching programme for fast-bowlers and batsmen will commence from today Friday, February 11 at Albion. Ambrose would be conducting the fast-bowling clinic while former national opening batsman Nolan McKenzie is expected to host a batting clinic. BCB President Hilbert Foster at the Board’s Annual General Meeting on December 19 last year had unveiled a massive coaching programme as part of his administration’s plans for the period 2022 to 2023.
Foster stated that the Board would invest heavily in coaching to make sure that every potential talent in the county is given the opportunity to develop, and also to lift the standard of the county’s cricket to another level. The BCB, he stated, was aiming to produce a total of 10 West Indies players at all levels over the course of the next few years.
Clinics would be held for fast bowlers, off spinners, left arm spinners, leg spinners, Captains, wicketkeepers, and batsmen while investment would also be made in producing more coaches for the county. The BCB would be organising clinics for pre-level one coaches while sessions would also be held for umpires, match referees, scorers and managers in an aggressive developmental programme.
Foster stated that he was contacted by overseas-based Guyanese medical doctor Frank Denbow , who stated that he would like to sponsor a fast-bowling clinic once the BCB could get Sir Curtly Ambrose to conduct it. Dr Denbow informed the BCB President that he was very impressed with the raw talent of Isai Thorne and wanted to invest in his development, along with other fast bowlers’. Foster immediately contacted the legendary fast bowler who readily agreed but had to find a suitable date to visit. Eventually, the parties agreed that Sir Curtly would arrive on Thursday, February 10 and departed on February 14.
The fast-bowling clinic would be held from Friday to Sunday with more than 40 players expected to be present. The BCB Selection Committees, headed by Albert Smith and Balram Samaroo, would host a series of sessions before selecting the fast bowlers for the sessions. Sir Curtly is expected to pay courtesy calls on several Government officials, including Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr, and would also be involved in inspiration sessions with administrators across the county, a question-and-answer session and visit the Upper Corentyne area.
Dr Denbow is also expected to be in the county for the clinic, and he has expressed confidence that his sponsorship would result in the county producing more fast bowlers in the future. Berbice is more known for producing spinners like Ivan Madray, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Devindra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul and Gudakesh Motie. Fast bowlers who hailed from the county include John Trim, Leslaine Lambert, Ray Joseph, Brandon Bess, Romario Shepherd, and Nial Smith. Ambrose is widely considered a legend of the game and one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He played 98 tests for the West Indies, taking 405 wickets at the remarkable average of 21.00 and played 176 One-Day International matches, taking 225 wickets at 24.1.
Meanwhile, former national player McKenzie volunteered his services to the BCB, to conduct a batting clinic at the same time as Ambrose’s visit and was readily accepted by Foster. The batting clinic would involve 40 of the most promising youth batters in the county. The 52-year-old McKenzie played 19 First-Class matches for Guyana, scoring 800 runs with six half- centuries. He is expected to work along with promising batters like Rampertab Ramnauth, Jonathan Rampersaud, Leon Cecil, Zeymul Ramsammy, and Mahendra Gopilall.
The BCB has expressed gratitude to Dr Denbow for his support and sponsorship.
