ECB Coaches Association links Inside Edge 6 May 2018 | Page 24

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S I R C U R T LY A M B R O S E
Michael Atherton and Curtly
Ambrose share a joke during
the England v West Indies
second Cornhill test match
at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

The idea of any batsman keen to get down the end to face Ambrose
rather than any other bowler seems ludicrous now, but then as the
youngster in arguably the most fearsome quartet of pace bowers, I
suppose that may have been conceivable at the start of his career.
Considering what he has achieved he is reflective and self-critical. He
does a nice line in charming under-statement.

“I thought I had enough pace to unsettle the batsman. Naturally I get
bounce on most surfaces because of my height. I worked really hard on
mastering control. I have to admit swing was very minimal, because I rely
so much on movement off the seam. Of the four key attributes of a pace
bowler the one thing I didn’t do so much was swing the ball”.

I found myself offering him a rather feeble endorsement, trying to
reassure him he got enough pace, bounce, control and lateral movement
during his career. Like he was going to get a boost from my well-intended
words!? I moved the subject on, before it became any more excruciating.

Being a bit nerdy, and having spent many days of my working life
discussing the matter on coach development courses with elite seam
bowlers, I am very interested in the length the best seam bowlers aim to
hit, and the factors that come into the decision making process around
this. In the case of Sir Curtly, with his exceptional release height and
playing on those bouncy pitches of the 1990s in the Caribbean, this would
be intriguing.
CONTINUE
“I observed a lot and asked a
lot of questions. I don’t talk a lot.
I prefer listening, asking questions
and watching how other players
go about their game.”

He use to smile a lot when he played, as I remember it. A quick s earch
on You Tube to watch his 8 for 45 at the Kensington Oval against England
confirmed this. 28 years later I am in a taxi stuck in a traffic jam outside the
ground with him. He is more interested in telling me about his daughters’
successful careers and their education, than getting nostalgic about his burst
of frightening pace bowling that won another Test Match for the West Indies,
and also catapulted him onto the world stage. As a fan of England cricket
I can only be relieved he has no sons to continue the torment for the next
generation.

He lives in Antigua, where he regularly plays the bass guitar in a band
with, amongst others, Ritchie Richardson. Going to downtown St John’s
to watch them play in the band is like one of those strange dreams where
different strands of life are merged into one. I am no musical expert, but I
would say they are far better than average. The music they play reflects his laid
back, amiable and impressive demeanour.

But what about cricket, and coaching? Annoyingly well rounded, it almost
feels wrong to ask him too much about his views on the game and coaching,
but he had signed up to the course voluntarily, so one steaming hot afternoon
at the Coolidge Cricket Ground when we both had a free hour I took my
chance. First I wanted to get his views on what made him so successful. I
know what my own views are on this, but it is always more interesting to get
the views of the superstar on their own success, and what sets them apart
from the crowd.

“I never wanted to be the weak link in the bowling attack. The late great
Malcolm Marshall was the lead bowler, Courtney Walsh, Patrick Patterson,
and of course Winston Benjamin and Eldine Baptiste a bit later as well. I never
wanted a batsman to be thinking “Marshall, Walshy, Paterson, let’s see them
off because they’re all great bowlers and then I can face Curtly Ambrose”. I
never wanted that to happen so I was forced to learn quickly. I observed a lot
and asked a lot of questions. I don’t talk a lot. I suppose as I became more
senior I talked a bit more to help the new players, as the older players helped
me, but I prefer listening, asking questions and watching how other players go
about their game”.
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F I N D I N G R H Y T H M – W I T H T H E N E W B A L L A N D T H E G U I TA R