ACA Feels Dissed by Darren Holder

The role of West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) coaching manager Darren Holder was called into question this week after he ignored a request by the Antigua Cricket Association (ACA) to conduct a Level One course for coaches on the island.

Chairman of the ACA development committee, Fitzroy Quinlan, sent a letter to the board on November 17 asking for Holder's services to run the coaching course between November 23-28. The WICB replied on November 26 and told the ACA that Holder had been directed to discuss the request and set up an appropriate time to conduct the training.

That's the last the ACA heard of the matter until a photograph of Holder appeared in regional newspapers with Holder participating in the West Indies pre-tour camp.

"We did not even get a courtesy call from Mr Holder to say he would be unavailable. We're sitting here waiting to get our development program in place for 2005 and this is very disappointing," a senior ACA official told CaribbeanCricket.com.

Holder, who relocated to Antigua from Australia to take up the coaching manager post, is a member of Bennett King's coaching staff in Barbados. It has led to questions about his role in the WICB's set-up because helping the senior West Indies team is low on his list of priorities, said a source.

When the WICB created the coaching manager post, the plan was to have someone in place to be the Technical Officer in the Cricket Development Unit responsible for the Coaching Development component of the department.

As coaching manager, Holder's responsibilities were spelled out this way:

* initiate new innovative coaching strategies and policies;
* prepare technical and policy papers on coaching and cricket development;
* manage WICB's coaching personnel including Territorial Development Officers;
* organise and deliver "specialist" coaching programmes;
* manage and deliver WICB's Coach education programme;
* manage WICB Talent ID programme and data base;
* oversee the Shell Cricket Academy's cricket programme;
* organise and co-ordinate the Emerging Players' programme;
* assist at selected West Indies Teams' activities.

"By snubbing us, by not even responding to us, he has shown he is turning his responsibilities upside-down. Can't they find a local coach in Barbados to work with the West Indies team and let the coaching manager do what he's supposed to do," asked a frustrated ACA official.

The Observer newspaper in Antigua quoted West Indies fast bowling legend Andy Roberts as saying Holder appeared "anxious" to join Bennett King's staff and had ignored his WICB chores.

The newspaper said ACA president Enoch Lewis, who is also a WICB director, has asked the board to clarify Holder's presence in Barbados while the ACA had an outstanding request in for his services.

The ACA is doubly peeved since its senior team has been dumped from the one-day and four-day regional competitions without any consultation.