West Indies: Caymans keep Cuffy (13 Oct 1997)

Monday, October 13, 1997

West Indies: Caymans keep Cuffy

By FORBES PERSAUD

FORMER senior national coach Theo Cuffy will not be available to handle Trinidad and Tobago's cricketers until the year 2000. Cuffy, who is currently coaching in the Cayman Islands, was due back home at the end of January 1998 but the Caymans Government have already renewed his contract for another two years.

Cuffy left Trinidad at the start of the 1996 season when he "reluctantly" accepted an offer from the Caymans Government to take up a two-year coaching contract in that country. Larry Gomes was appointed cricket coach for the 1996 season but he too secured a contract from authorities in Canada and handed over the reins to current coach Rangy Nanan.

Speaking to the Express last night, former national skipper Cuffy expressed delight at the "vote of confidence" that his employers have given him but he also expressed regret at having to be divorced from national cricket.

On his last visit home, Cuffy, a WICB advanced level coach, had told the Express that he remained definitely interested in serving T&T cricket but that will not now happen until his tenure in the Caymans is complete.

Saying he was "elated" to know that his efforts to promote and develop the game in the Caymans were being recognised and appreciated by those in authority, Cuffy said that last month he organised a three-day coaching clinic for the Islands' young cricketers and it had been acclaimed as a tremendous success.

The clinic was sponsored by Cable and Wireless and conducted by West Indies captain Courtney Walsh along with West Indian Test players Ian Bishop and Jimmy Adams. More than 100 young cricketers participated in the clinic and thousands of people were on hand to witness it.

A WICB official who was in the Caymans for the clinic said it was "acclaimed as one of the biggest sporting events to have taken place in the islands, second only to the Carifta Games". "And most of the credit must go to Cuffy," he said.

But despite glowing tributes from several quarters for the fine work he is doing in developing the game in the islands, the former West Indies A team manager is not entirely happy with himself.

"I don't see how I can be satisfied with what I have achieved if I fail to get the Caymans teams to compete in the regional cricket competitions," he complained.

Cuffy explained that he has made numerous approaches to the WICB to secure a place in the regional Red Stripe Bowl series which enters the semi-final stage next weekend.

However, all of his efforts have so far proved fruitless and he will be concentrating his attention in the immediate future on having his Under-15 team accepted for the 1998 Carib Cement tournament which is scheduled for Jamaica next Easter.

According to Cuffy, he has twice applied to the board for entry but he is still awaiting a response. Nevertheless, he said, he is optimistic that his team will be accepted.

Cuffy will be away from his post for a spell later this year. He and Tobago's Clem Hercules have been named as technical director and coach respectively of the West Indies Women's cricket team which is scheduled to participate in the World Cup in India.

Source :: The Trinidad Express (https://www.trinidad.net/express/)