… Robin Singh appointed assistant CDO
FORMER Guyana and West Indies fast bowler Reon Dane King yesterday notified a press briefing of his eagerness to serve the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) as its Cricket Development Officer (CDO) – his first task being with the senior national squad that is presently in camp for next year’s West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional four-day competition.

New GCB Cricket Development Officer Reon King (right) and his assistant Robin Singh, who were confirmed in their positions, conduct a press conference yesterday. (Sonell Nelson photo)

“It’s a pleasure to be working with the GCB, playing such a great role in the development of cricket in Guyana and to an extent the West Indies, and my vision is to move Guyana’s cricket forward from where it is, as we are not pleased with the present state it is in right now.

“I have had numerous discussions with my assistant Robin Singh who will be taking care of the technical aspects of things and together we have drafted a plan on how we can go about resurrecting Guyana’s cricket,” King said at the briefing which was held in the GCB’s boardroom.

The 34-year-old King, who played the last of his 19 Tests in which he took a total of 53 wickets against Pakistan back in 2005, replaced another former Guyana and West Indies fast bowler Colin Stuart.

“Previously, Colin was the lone person doing this job, so his task was a tedious one, but with Robin, along with the other five coaches employed by the GCB, we will be looking to work and take Guyana’s cricket back to the level of respectability, with the senior team being our first project.

“The GCB is strapped for cash at the moment, but with the help of corporate Guyana, we will be working with what we got, as everything starts with the first step and our first step is to make sure a bunch of competitive players go and represent us, bringing back glory as in the days of yore,” said King.

He continued: “We have long- and short-term goals but our main focus of attention is the senior team who have been encamped from Monday, and the centre at LBI which will be in operation within a few weeks will be of great help with regard to our programmes.

“Another one of our programmes we have in mind will be the bringing together of the other five coaches individually to work with the national coach Ravindranauth Seeram, Robin and me, while we have had discussions with the present members of the squad to see what more needs to be done.

“Creating a fan-based relationship is another item on the agenda, as the paying public are the ones who fill the venues to watch the players go out there and perform and it is only fair that we get a feedback from them with regard to their thoughts on the present state of Guyana’s cricket, as some may have ideas that are profitable also.”

Like King, Singh who recently returned from neighboring Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), is eager to work with the GCB as its High Performance Analyst (HPA) and will be setting up a database where the governing body for cricket in the country can have access to players in a particular age group quickly and with the greatest of ease.

He has years of experience as a high performance analyst, having executed such duties for the Stanford Superstars Twenty20 team, the T&T Hi-Performance Centres and first class season as well as the Queen’s Park Cricket Club.

Singh also served with the 2003 West Indies Under-19 World Cup preparation camp as the video analyst for coach Clyde Butts as well as the 2003/04 T&T senior national team, providing live video analyses for coach David Williams.

“I will be looking to feed the cricket system here in Guyana correctly, wherein we will be looking to take the players from the schools to the clubs to the national teams and then onto the West Indies team. But that in itself is a challenge, as one of the major hiccups we are faced with is the geographical layout of Essequibo for starters.

“In Essequibo, travelling is a major issue but we are working out a programme for that area and pretty soon everything will be under control, with all engines running smoothly, which will permit the GCB to locate players for a certain age group of cricket easily.”

President of the GCB, Chetram Singh, who along with Public Relations Officer Terry Holder, vice-presidents Bissoondial Singh and Faizal Bacchus and secretary Anand Sanassie were present at the briefing, stated that the position being held by both King and Robin Singh were salaried ones and they are answerable to Bissoondial Singh, who is the head of the GCB’s Cricket Development Committee.

“While some may want to think that these two gentlemen were handpicked, that is not so. We advertised the positions, received numerous applications from which a number of persons were invited to an interview and the incumbents were the successful ones as their ideas are definitely what the GCB is looking for.

“With their work, which the GCB has set aside G$20M for the first phase alone, we should be seeing improved performances from our national teams especially the seniors, while at the same time we need to see more scorers and match referees, a field they are charged with the responsibility of also,” said the longest-serving WICB director.

The GCB head further stated that the present encampment the national squad is undergoing is the brainchild of King, who is overseeing the week of fitness sessions with valuable support from other coaches including Police Sports Club’s athletics coach Linden Wilson.