Fortunate to be seeing two Test matches this year, the first having been against England in Grenada in April. Will have to look at my Pictures file to see if I was at Sabina Park last year and for what. Things are a blur sometimes…these days.
Greeted the usual Caribbean persons in the press box in the North Stand. Set up my “stall”, got wifi password and settled down to work. But not cricket work. The work in my real life which allows me to pay for these unpaid escapades. I’m hoping to be able to do some more interviews for the cricket Q & As I normally do. I started out doing those after the Caribbeancricket.com editor said he didn’t want match reports. Phew! Cause I would have had to go to university to learn the cricket basics. Umpire Bucknor tried with me, but I still haven’t got it yet. Shhhh….doh tell he.
Two wickets before lunch! Jerome Taylor was on fyah! This has been a happy hunting ground for him. I recall Brian Lara referring to him as “special” in a post match press conference a few years ago. The day belonged to Steve Smith from Australia though. He was left not out.
Back to the press box….said hello to the Australians. One named Swanton told me he was from The Age. I asked him for the female journalist from there who I had met on a tour a few years ago. It is strange to see females in the press box. The women’s lavatory is therefore always free. No lines. He reminded me that her name was Chloe Saltau. She is now the Sports Editor. Good for her. I had interviewed her back in St Kitts during the World Cup but it did not find its way to the website.
After the euphoria of two wickets in the first session, the day petered on. Taylor was plugging up one end while runs were leaking at the other between Kemar Roach (in everyone’s bad books for getting a wicket with a no-ball) and Verasammy Permaul in for Bishoo.
Australia on 258-4 at end of day. Could the West Indies come back on Day 2 and knock them over for little and nothing? Time to ask the day’s star performer Jerome Taylor.
Happy that Adriel “Woody” Richards had the brilliant idea of the journalists going out onto the field for post match presser, since only one elevator was working. Wonderful memories that brought back. Recalled prior to the strict security measures of the World Cup, being able to go onto the field, right up to the wicket, before the match. Hung out with Simon Crosskill and Neville “Bertis” Bell while they were doing their pre-match gig and also took pictures of the players while they were warming up. Up close and personal. Not possible any more. Cho.
Hmmm…should really be paying attention to what Jerome is saying, instead of roaming back and forth. But the good folks at Windies Cricket will be posting either the audio or video….or both….on their Sound Cloud channel. Kudos to them for improving their use of technology. Woody must have brought that when he joined.
Hey…..isn’t that Gibbs Williams jogging around the field? Yes! Gibbs gave me a lot of his time to explain what happened with Jermaine Lawson. After the press conference was over, I jogged a few steps with him.
Let’s see how the knees hold up on Day 2! Creek, creek. Keep up with the action on my Flickr page.