ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Former West Indies pacer Sir Curtly Ambrose has questioned a WICB decision earlier this year to exclude Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) from the regional first-class competition.
WICB announced in July that the CCC would be dropped from the Regional 4-Day competition but approved a recommendation for CCC to compete in next year’s NAGICO Super50 tournament.
Sir Curtly, bowling consultant with the CCC, said they have always been a competitive team.
“CCC has always been one of the teams that give a lot of trouble and CCC has beaten all of the traditional first class teams except for Jamaica, and some more than once, so I just can’t understand the rationale behind leaving out the CCC, but that’s not my call. I’ve voiced my opinion and let them know I am disappointed, but at the end of the end of the day, it’s not my call really,” he said.
Last year, the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) expressed its concern over initial moves by the WICB to exclude CCC from regional competitions.
The decision is said to be a part of WICB’s new thrust to restructure regional competitions, and among other things, make them more financially viable.
However, Sir Curtly supports the new WICB initiative that will see the professionalising of regional cricket. The concept, he said, is one that had been promoted for many years by another former West Indies pacer, Kenneth “Flipper” Benjamin.
“Let’s say Leeward Islands team for instance, is not the strongest team or not the strongest team we are used to and there are other players from different territories who can’t quite make their teams, but are good enough to make a Leeward Islands team or a Windward Islands team to make it stronger and make the competition better, and Flipper has been saying that for years so now that they are looking to do that, it’s not a problem,” Sir Curtly said.
“I think it will make the cricket better, it will make all the teams more balanced and the competition will be higher so I don’t see a problem with it.”
The WICB Regional 4-Day competition will bowl off on November 14.
