Reid right to the point

Winston Reid, the outstanding Banks and Barbados cricketer, said he was extremely excited to be part of the first National Sportsmanship Day.

Although most cricketers were busy on the fields last Saturday when the main event was staged at the Garfield Sobers Complex, some cricket played their part in a tapeball match on Friday night at the National Stadium.

Reid was one of those cricketers under the lights.

The left-arm spin bowler, who retired from the Barbados team a year ago, said poor sportsmanship was among us but and there is a need to be disciplined and to train in order to perform well.

'Players need to be disciplined to succeed,' Reid said. 'Even if you have a written schedule, you have to follow what is required.

He said in order to be successful there is no room for bad behaviour in sports.

He added: 'Everything does not go your way and you must take the bitter with the sweet.'

To improve sportsmanship he thinks coaches must monitor athletes closely; and not only pay attention to those who may be 'stars'.

The 38-year-old, who was a standout on the Barbados team during his career from 1986 to 1999, said it was a joy to represent his country during that period and aspiring young players, regardless of their sport, should see it as an honour and not a right to wear the blue and gold.

'It was an honour, a joy and a learning experience to represent my country. Being around different people you learned to handle, deal and understand various situations,' said Reid who played alongside greats such as Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes.

'It was enjoyable and relatively successful for me.'

His advice to youngsters: 'You need to work hard, ask, and listen a lot to people in your particular discipline and try to get a wide base of all sports so you would be an allrounder'.

He said you had to master your bases from early and try to perfect your personal skills. He also said to look for perfection and you would always keep learning with new experiences.

Reid said he concentrated mainly on work now. He still plays for Banks in the Courts/Suzuki Division 1 competition, and tries to stay 'as sharp as possible'.

Reflecting on a year of national sporting success, he said he would like to see Barbados become more oriented all around in sports.

'The young ones need to get funds so they can develop.' he said. 'We have become a sporting oriented place, and when we come up against others we are far behind. They can try their best to facilitate, get apparatus and more professional coaches.'

He called on corporate Barbados and Government to sponsor the young players, adding that sportsmen and women should be given ample time off to train without there being pressure from employers.

'If they want people to improve they have to have the right incentives,' Reid said.