Cricketers get counselling, mental ‘prep’

Trinidad and Tobago cricketers yesterday underwent counselling and a mental preparation session with sports psychologist Rudolph Ottley at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre, Balmain, Couva. The squad is currently preparing for the upcoming Carib Beer Series regional tournament which gets underway from January 7 to 10 with a first round match against Guyana at the National Cricket Centre. Persistent showers forced the Cricket Board officials to switch the action of the now disrupted second trial match at Gilbert Park, California to Balmain on Thursday and yesterday.

Coach David Williams and trainer Gerald Garcia worked out with the squad minus Samuel Felix and Jonathan Augustus on Thursday. The players participated but it will take more than a week before Jonathan Augustus, who was the driver of the vehicle which was involved in the vehicular accident on the Uriah-Butler Highway last Sunday, will be able to probably rejoin his fellow cricketers. The traumatised 19-year-old will probably even take a longer time. No one can be sure at this stage. However, the TTCB executive decided to provide the services of a qualified and experienced sports psychologist who would be able to guide the young cricketers back on track.

They were greeted by Ottley who set the tone for the day’s activities. He tried to get them to focus on the positives and to be able to lift themselves in moments of despair and disappointment. The cricketers vying to secure places on the TT senior team for the 2005 season will have to play ten rounds of regional First Class matches plus the international home tours involving South Africa. His session was followed by trainer Garcia’s aerobic session which dealt with physical exercises and stretching routines. “One of the major components of fitness is flexibility. And I decided to let the guys do a lot more stretching than usual. This will help their overall fitness and endurance levels. The body will be able to cope with the extra demands during the batting, bowling and catching drills,” Garcia said. Today is a rest day for all players and officials of the training squad. Sessions will resume tomorrow at Balmain from 8.30 am.