By Tony Becca, Contributing EditorGARETH BREESE is Jamaica's new cricket captain.
The 27-year-old Breese, who captained the Jamaica Youth team in 1994 and 1995 and the West Indies Youth team on the tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh in 1995, was selected as the successor to Robert Samuels at a meeting of the Jamaica Cricket Association's (JCA's) directors at Sabina Park on Tuesday evening.
Samuels, who led Jamaica to the semi-finals of the limited-overs Red Stripe Bowl this year, was not recommended by the selectors and was also not included in the squad now preparing for the four-day Carib Beer Series.
A former captain of Lucas Cricket Club, Breese, an allrounder who bowls offspin, first represented Jamaica in 1996. He played in the leagues in England up to this season and has signed to represent Durham in the English County Championship starting next season. He has been the country's most successful bowler in recent years.
Breese, a West Indies Test and one-day representative, is not the only change in the leadership of Jamaica's cricket.
When Jamaica begin their hunt for honours in the regional Carib Beer Series against the Windward Islands in St. Lucia on January 9, they will also do so with a new manager following the election of Maurice Clarke, president of the St. Mary Cricket Association and a director of the JCA, as the team's manager.
According to information coming out of Tuesday's meeting, Clarke, first vice-president and former manager George Sterling and outgoing manager Linden Wright were nominated for the post, Sterling declined nomination, and Clarke, the father of Maurice Clarke, the Lucas batsman who is in the squad of players hunting a place on the national team, won the vote comfortably.
Although his removal was a big disappointment to Wright - a former Jamaica Youth and Jamaica representative, manager of the Jamaica Youth team in 1997, 1998 and 1999, and manager of the Jamaica team since 2000 he took it in his stride.
"I love serving my country, I love being involved with the players, and of course, I am disappointed," said the man who was the manager when the Youth team won the regional limited-overs title in 1999 and when the senior team won the Busta Cup four-day title in 2000, the Busta Shield four-day title in 2001, the Busta Cup title in 2002 and when they got to the final of the Red Stripe Bowl in 2002.
"Yes, I am disappointed, but that's life," said Wright. "You just have to take those things in your stride and go on doing what you have to do - what you love to do."
Meanwhile, the final trial/ practice match to select Jamaica's Carib Beer squad begins today at Sabina Park.
