BCB/Dr. Frank Denbow Fast Bowlers Camp

FORMER West Indies fast-bowling icon, Sir Curtly Ambrose, commenting after he concluded the historic three-day Fast Bowlers’ Camp in the Ancient County, under the auspices of Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and sponsored by USA-based Dr Frank Denbow, posited that it was a fantastic start to what he believes would be something great in years to come.

Speaking on Sunday, February 13, soon after concluding the camp at the Albion Community Centre ground, Sir Ambrose said: “I thought the three days went very well. All the bowlers who attended were very receptive to what I was trying to teach them. They asked a lot of questions which is so important. It tells me that they are willing to learn. They were seeking as much information as possible which I think was very encouraging.”

Ambrose, who was assisted by United Kingdom-based former Guyanese opening batter, Nolan McKenzie, shared that the three days is just a start as there is so much more to learn.

“It was totally impossible to teach them everything in three days but they all enjoyed it, I enjoyed myself and am hoping that this is the start of something continuous.”

The historic programme was prompted by Dr Denbow who saw Berbician fast bowler Isai Thorne in action against England with the West Indies Under-19 team back in 2021. Thorne who was a 16-year-old quickie at the time also attended the three-day clinic and was an inspiration to the other attendees.

While there were a few bowlers who stood out more than others, Sir Curtly noted that he is not the kind of coach who likes to call names too early as this can very well work against the progress of the player if he takes it the wrong way and becomes complacent and not put in the hard work.

“I’ve always preferred to look at players over a longer period of time before I can make a real assessment of what they are doing; but it was a good three-days, and hopefully, in the near future I’ll be back to continue the progress.”

In the meantime, Sir Curtly stated that the local coaches will monitor and encourage the bowlers to continue working hard on their game so when he returns, he’ll see them more advanced.

“You know, I said to them that I played this game so they can’t really fool me, I will know for sure if they were working or not.”

Ambrose would have done some similar programmes in his native Antigua and Barbuda, courtesy of Cricket West Indies (CWI) and he enjoys doing same.

“I’ve always believed that it is important that knowledge and experience is better when you give back especially to the youngsters, so I’ve always enjoyed working with young, aspiring fast bowlers so they can learn from my experience. Whatever I’m teaching them is what I’ve been through and what I know as opposed to just guessing.

“I’ve never pretended or behaved like I know everything and that’s one of the things I try to tell them, I don’t know everything. There are times when I struggle to work things out as well, but whatever knowledge and experience I’ve gained over the years, I imparted to them.