Michael Holding visits KC Cricket Nursery for Cricket World Cup 2007
By Basil Waite
Roy McLean, Michael Holding, Karl Oxford and Churchill Neita
World famed former West Indies fast bowler, Michael Holding recently visited the McLean/Neil Cricket nursery to be updated with plans for refurbishing the plant in time for World Cup 2007.
The ‘Whispering death ‘ stopped over for a brief holiday in Jamaica before jetting off to Australia in preparation for coverage of the much talked about upcoming Ashes series.
The KCOBA Jamaica 2000 honoree was received at the Clovelly cricket nursery by Coach Roy McLean, Chairman of the Sports Council fundraising committee, Churchill Neita and designer/engineer, Karl Oxford.
Holding was informed that three quotations have been received based on tender documents and drawings by Karl Oxford. Indications to date are that the cost of refurbishing the Neil/McLean nursery will exceed 1 million Jamaican dollars. It is hoped that approaches for funding will be made to the KC Development Trust Fund, the Sports Development Foundation and possibly Australian contacts who have shown keen interest and indeed emulated what was considered a novel concept when the nursery was first opened by members of their test team on tour of the West Indies in 1984.
It is hoped that the nursery will be refurbished in time for World Cup 2007. It will form part of an overall plan for a general facelift of the school which will be used as a helicopter landing and take off pad by cricket world cup officials. It is anticipated that lease funds secured from the Local Organizing Committee will help defray the cost of general upgrading.
Holding recalled with fond memories the opening of the nursery in 1984. At that time, the Australian cricket team was on the island as part of their test tour of the West Indies. Some ten poui trees were planted by Captain Kim Hughes, Holding, and the two founders of the nursery, Roy McLean and Gladstone Neil among others. In fact, the Australians were so impressed that they sent a team back to the island to do a video shoot as a basis for establishing what was the forerunner of the now world famed Australian cricket academy.
The man who took the record haul of 14 wickets at the Oval against England in 1976 promised to make contact with Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting and Pakistan’s coach, Bob Woolmer, to interest them to visit the Nursery with their respective squads whilst on the island for the opening ceremony of the cricket world cup. He made it quite clear that such a promise is conditional on putting the school plant including the nursery in immaculate condition for him to feel proud to invite these world famous cricketers to the school of Michael Holding.
