Jason Greene continues his Bajun Blogs from the beautiful island of Barbados and this time looks at the role of the club pro, one he has personal experience of…
Let me clarify what we are talking about before I begin.
I’m not discussing the merits of a “public relations officer” nor “pro-noun”, but a professional cricketer. How valuable are they to a club team?
In my opinion they are great asset and a good investment. However, ultimately the best club pros are recruited by searching around to find someone that suits your team set-up.
Apart from their skills, can they present supplementary knowledge deemed as valuable to the team? It is highly recommended! Every player confronts situations and more than often they have different methods of surmounting those tough times, and learning how different players handle problems could be an asset to any player willing to improve and develop their ability to handle tough challenges.
To be a pro in a team allows the opportunity for an overall “win-win”. The teams look for their pro to bring great performances to boost the team’s success and the pro looks to enhance his own game in a different environment.
Personally, I’ve had the experience of being a pro back in 2008 in Vancouver, representing the West Vancouver Cricket Club.
I will like to extend gratitude for their great hospitality and care on my five month stint with the club. It was a great learning experience for me. Playing in single digit temperatures, unfamiliar conditions and sharing a dressing room with a bunch of strangers. After a period the strangers became my team and friends.
We played 50-over and T20 games. My first few innings where the most difficult times for me. Let me mention I had no time to adjust, after being collected from the airport we had two hours before my first game, which required stopping at Starbucks, grabbing a coffee and something to eat then heading over to the ground to prepare for my first game.
It was six degrees and I was straight from Barbados where the lowest temperature is around 26 degrees….I was bloody cold!!!
We were in the field first, fielding the ball felt like cold rocks were being thrown at me with force! Each ball to my hand felt like I had broken a finger, but my job had to be done.
It came for me to have my first innings for WVCC. I felt great as I had great preparations back home in Barbados prior to my departure. I got two balls! Struck my first ball out to the cover area confidently off the middle but was out done the following delivery edged behind from the extra bounce, which I only got to learn about on my stay. That’s the nature if the wickets up in B.C.
Acclimatizing and great performances were my main objectives during my time there.
It took about four games to prove my involvement and worth to the club. Leaving my mark with five consecutive scores over 50 with two of them carrying my bat to win the games for my club. Things had started to shape up!!
We didn’t win the 50-overs league, but we ended up in the top 3 that season, which was a commendable job after being midway in the tables on my arrival. Ending on a high was key for me.
My last game was a T20 game. I had missed the other games, played before my arrival, and it was a dead rubber as we couldn’t advance any further in the competition. Opening the batting, I made an unbeaten 96 and helping us get to a very respectable total of just over 180. The other guys supported me well and we ended with a win.
Jason Greene
I’ve learnt during my stay and I hope my thoughts to the team also helped those who were willing to learn also.
It’s about going to do your job to the best of your ability, being a valuable teacher to others on and off the field, and also learning and gaining valuable experiences along the way. To accomplish such, is a true example of being a pro.”
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
- Barbados Badger BLOG: What It’s Like To Be A Club Cricketer (cricketbadger.com)
- BADGER BLOG: What it’s like representing Wanderers in Barbados (cricketbadger.com)
- BADGER BLOG: The great tradition of Barbados cricket (cricketbadger.com)
- BADGER BLOG: Cricket on the island of Barbados (cricketbadger.com)
- BADGER BLOG: Will the CPLt20 benefit the Caribbean? (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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