In the latest of his Bajun Blogs from the beautiful island of Barbados, Jason Greene talks about what it is like to be a club cricketer in Barbados…
Jason Greene
“The rivalry between clubs can pump you up each weekend to be the team with a smile at the end, or to perform to find yourselves all over the press and also the mouths of the public. But it’s pretty much bittersweet when it all boils down to it.
First this will only apply to those who are willing to take the game of cricket seriously as a career, unless you are in the selected few of players that have central contracts. That’s only a fraction of cricketers on the island.
You pretty much have to maintain a day-to-day job. If Barbados had the sunlight into the hours of 10pm then that wouldn’t be a problem. But to either leave work at 4:30 or 5:00 and make your way to club practice when the sun sets around 6:00-6:15…..then you see what I mean.
The way I see it, sacrifices have to be made, but then again that’s how life goes, if you want something you work hard towards it.
As this could relate to me I could say I’ve made sacrifices as I know what I want out of the game.
Waking up around 3am, going for 20-30 min runs, then it is time to prepare for work. Everyone has rough days in their jobs, but then it’s time to give it your all at club practice. It can take a toll on your body.
But I remember asking a question to Aussie Aaron Finch. I asked, “What’s the most important thing in being a pro?”
He told me, getting rest is very important. That was something I could agree with. So I always make sure I get in to bed early, around 8:30pm. That gives me about 7 hours rest, which I’ll take any day rather than staying up late to catch an episode of Criminal Minds.
Anything good comes with sustained hard work, determination, and self-belief.
And if you are in this type of position, to make it, those qualities must be sustained in you without any hint of doubt. You can never doubt that you’ll make it.
It isn’t easy, but when you get there, you’ll fit right in.
Why? Because you weren’t given any freebies. It was sustained hard work that got you through.”
Jason Greene is a cricketer for Wanderers Cricket Club, he has represented the Barbados Select XI and blogs about the game and has a has a strong love for coffee. He says, “Cricket is my passion!”
Related articles
- BADGER BLOG: What it’s like representing Wanderers in Barbados (cricketbadger.com)
- BADGER BLOG: The CPLt20 and Caribbean Integration (cricketbadger.com)
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
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