Golf - Lara's relief

Following is an edited version of the David Ellis interview with former West Indies cricket captain Brian Lara:

Ellis: When did you first start playing golf.

Lara:: I remember we were playing against the Leeward Islands in Montserrat. Ambrose and Benjamin destroyed Trinidad in two days and I had two days off and went to the golf course, and we played a couple rounds.

That's the first time I ever played it and it was really relaxing getting away from the cricket scene.

My life has been a very public one from very young and when you get on to a golf course, you get out there with your friends and play a round of golf, you enjoy it, you get to the 19th hole and you have a couple drinks with your friends and you enjoy the five hours a day at the golf course.

And that's what it really means to me. It's a hobby, a form of enjoyment and you meet lots of interesting people.

Ellis:: When you get out there, how does your life change'

Lara:: Well, first of all, it's fun, the majority of the sports I've played before, football, of course cricket have been very competitive and that [golf] in itself is a calmer.

You get out there, play a round of golf and you build a lot of relationships on the golf course with your friends, with strangers; guys who you don't know before, you play with.

So it does change my life but it's opened me to a lot of things. It is a wonderful sport.

Ellis:: I've heard some people introduce the argument that taking up golf can have some impact on your batting as a cricketer.

Lara:: I don't know. I think that's yet to be proven. I mean taking up anything can affect something else. I don't see it as a problem; if I ever see it as a problem I don't think I would indulge myself in something like that.

Cricket is my number one priority and I think golf mentally sets me well for cricket.

Ellis:: What else do you do to get away from the competitive spirit of cricket and all the challenges'

Lara:: Well, on tour I do a lot of reading, go to the movies.

Back at home in Trinidad I enjoy life with my three-and-a-half-year-old daughter (Sydney) and now I'm seeing the value of having people around me and my family.

I've spent numerous days without them and to have your mother, brother and sisters around you and my daughter is a great feeling.

It's excellent to know that you can still share that special time with people and give them a lot of your time now.

I'm looking forward to getting back into the game, but right now it's [the break] done me a great deal, bringing me closer to a lot of important people.

Ellis:: When is the last time you had that kind of closeness to your family'

Lara:: A very long time, I think. Back in my early teens, when a lot of my cricket was played in Trinidad, they would come out and support.

Everyone cooked a big pot of peleau or rice and peas and came out and spent time at the cricket ground and watched me play. I had full support back then.

As I got older and got into international cricket that was lost.

Ellis:: What is your mother saying in this period'

Lara:: When I told her I was not going to be captain anymore she smiled all day. She was very happy and I couldn't understand; her son was giving up the captaincy of the West Indies and she had a smile on her face all day and gave me a great big hug.

At the present time she is around when I am in Trinidad and I see her a lot; it's a great feeling.

My father passed away long ago. He was a major influence in my life, but my mum has now taken over that role and we are very close.

Ellis:: This period has also given you a chance to look at yourself and your game. What is your reassessment, if any'

Lara:: One of the main things that I am focusing on is if I was to return to cricket, it would be in such a forceful way. I want it to be in a way that I can really see how far I could extend my talents, how far my God-given ability will allow me to go.

I must say I have been very inconsistent in my career. I've done wonderful things at times, but I would like to keep a consistent level, plus play great innings and do great things.

The expectation around the Caribbean is great, sometimes a bit unfair but when I get out again, I'm going to be the best cricketer that I can be.

Ellis:: Have you been able to identify where you faltered and what has stopped you from delivering on a consistently high basis'

Lara:: Not really, to average over 50 in Test cricket is good, but I still feel that I'm lacking in some areas and I want to find those areas and see if I can work on them. A lot of cricket is mental and you have to have great mental strength. Sometimes I can tell I am more focused than other times and maybe I need to have my focus or mental approach corrected every time I get out to the middle and it hasn't been so.

Other times when your back is against the wall, you buckle down and get things going.

Another time you think things are a little easier and you don't have the focus that you should.

Ellis:: As a young man coming up against that kind of phenomenal success, your life can change drastically. How has it changed you'

Let's go back to that Antigua Test where you broke the world record and then went to England and did so well.

Lara:: That was not only huge in terms of my performance on the field, but my life definitely just went into another level and I would say that someone needs to be prepared for that.

If you see a young sportsman - and I am throwing this out to the communities and all the sporting organisations - if you have someone who is capable of doing great things on the world stage and you can see that in him early, you need to make sure he is well set mentally to do the right things.

There are a lot of things that I've done that I've learnt from. I was not prepared for such a year as 1994, there was nothing before to tell me that I would break two world records and have such a great year.

When it happened the surge threw me up into different levels and a lot of different things were happening, but I used it as a learning experience, because I am sure that in life there are many more challenges and many more great moments that I'll be able to handle in a much better manner.