Edwards, Dowrich complete West Indies Level Two coaching program

Former West Indies vice-captain Kirk Edwards and out-of-favor Test gloveman Shane Dowrich have completed Level Two of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Representative Coaching Program.

The duo was among 25 participants featuring in a two-day face-to-face coaching workshop at Kensington Oval last month, hosted in conjunction with the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and the University of the West Indies.

Charlene Taitt, who played 17 internationals for West Indies Women between 2008 and 2010, was among five female participants.

Dowrich, who has not played for West Indies since abruptly leaving the tour of New Zealand 16 months ago, was full of praise for the program.

“The course was very productive. I learnt a lot over the last couple of weeks, which included the online modules,” said the 30-year-old.

“It has been very interesting and opened my mind to a lot of things I haven’t been thinking about as a cricketer.

“It’s good to have the theory side and also looking at how to apply that to the practical side, which we did here at Kensington.

“The education in this program is critical and will help to improve cricket in the Caribbean.”

In a release, CWI said its objective was to “upskill, assess and accredit” local coaches and coach developers in order to support the West Indies Cricket Pathway.

The Antigua-based governing body said it had delivered 552 new coaching certificates across eight Caribbean countries over the last three years, with the bulk coming at the Foundation level.

CWI coach development manager, Chris Brabazon, said the recent workshop had been critical in achieving the objective of expanding the area of coaching.

“Initiatives like this are part of the CWI strategy to make coach development opportunities more accessible and inclusive for anyone who would like to learn more about coaching and then use that training to actively grow the game in their communities,” he said.

“The BCA did a fantastic job in promoting the courses and assisting with the delivery.

“Also, the support from our UWI Coach Developers continues to be excellent in the development and delivery of our Level 2 and Level 3 coaching Programs.