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By Neto Baptiste
The unavailability of suitable training facilities here in Antigua during off-season preparations has left at least one Leeward Islands cricketer in a state of frustration.
In an exclusive interview with Observer media, Antiguan spinner, Hayden Walsh Jr said the situation has left him demotivated and desperate for a solution currently affecting a host of Leeward Islands players working desperately hard to get into and remain in peak condition.
“At the moment, we are just in the gym and we are using YASCO to do physical training but as far as bat and ball training is concerned, we are not able to do anything. Personally, as a leg spinner, you need to bowl balls and you need to keep on working on your craft and it is very frustrating because I am not able to do that on my own. If we have Leeward Islands training and we are not able to bat and bowl balls, then what do I do next?” he said.
All three of the country’s top sporting facilities are currently ‘unavailable’ to the Leeward Islands Hurricanes franchis. These include the country’s premier cricket venue, the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS), the privately owned Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) and the historic Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG).
Walsh, who was not picked up by any of the franchises for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament, suggested that players should be allowed to return to their respective countries where they would have access to the facilities required to sharpen their skills.
“These things that are happening in Leeward Islands cricket and in West Indies cricket, when you’re not able to practice and prepare yourself for the higher level, it just means that you are far behind from what you’re coming up against. When I go to Australia, India and England [I] see the wealth of options in facilities and players are able to go and develop … and that’s why we may see a lot of poor performances at the West Indies level,” the player said.
Observer media reached out to Acting Head of Grounds at the SVRS Norvile Simon, who explained that the staff is currently in preparation mode ahead of the CPL, which makes it difficult to allow the Hurricanes access to the grounds.
“Preparation is not done like it used to be done before where you could prepare a wicket between four to five days. Now, we are doing it by the book where we are given a document from the [CWI] head curator Mr Ken Crafton, and normally, preparations takes [at least] 10 days. We had to verticut, aerate; we had to top dress the pitches, and these things take time,” he said.
“Mr Black would have had conversations with a few guys from the Leeward Islands team and I would have had conversations also with a few of the guys and a few players. The wickets we would have to give to the Leeward Islands would be the very same two wickets that we have allocated for the CPL games,” the official added.
Reports indicate that the CCG is unavailable due to prior commitments, while the ARG is currently the hub of Carnival festivities.
In January of 2024, the LICB announced it would move its headquarters from St Kitts to Antigua where it expects players would have a greater opportunity to play cricket and have access to the top training facilities here.
Efforts to reach President of the LICB Enoch Lewis for comment proved futile.
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