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Walsh ready to roll back the years

Ex-West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh returns to Bermuda next month with his Jamaican side Melbourne Cricket Club who are touring the Island. Above, Walsh sends down a delivery during a Bermuda Cricket Board training camp at the National Sports Centre in 2006.

Windies bowling legend Courtney Walsh hasn’t ruled out the possibility of tossing down a few overs during Melbourne Cricket Club’s upcoming tour of Bermuda.The Jamaican powerhouse are due to arrive on the Island April 10 to play a series of T20 matches against hosts Somerset Cricket Club and Commercial side Jamaican Association as well as three 50 over matches against the senior national squad.All matches are to be held at Somerset Cricket Club.Should the opportunity present itself, Walsh said he would consider suiting up during the tour.“I still play the odd game here and there in Jamaica just to keep myself active and if the opportunity comes up I might see what I can do,” he told The Royal Gazette. “I can still get it on the other end reasonably good so I’m not complaining. I still enjoy a good game of cricket.”Walsh will serve in the capacity as manager during Melbourne CC’s tour of the Island.The man who claimed 519 Test and 227 ODI wickets during a remarkable international career is no stranger to these shores having travelled here in 2006 with fellow Windies greats Lance Gibbs and Richie Richardson to work with the national squad.“My past experiences in Bermuda have been good,” added Walsh. “The players and conditions there are pretty good and we are looking forward to playing against them in those conditions as well.”Walsh is one of several world -class players to have cut their teeth at Melbourne CC situated in Kingston.“The club has been around for quite some time and has a rich history of players representing the youth and senior Jamaican team and West Indies cricket team,” he said. “We see ourselves as one of the clubs in Jamaica that has produced quite a number of West Indian and Jamaican players and we want to continue that rich tradition and history.”Melbourne CC will tour Bermuda without the services of key players Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh and Nikita Miller.“We have a lot of players that won’t be able to make this trip due to the numbers (13) we have to carry,” Walsh said. “But it’s a team of players that have represented the club pretty well over the last couple of seasons and it’s going to be an encouraging tour for the youngsters. We are very excited about coming to Bermuda and are getting ourselves ready to give a pretty good account of ourselves.“I know we are a club side but we are a club that has produced people like Michael Holding, Robert Samuels, myself and a number of others that played at the highest for Jamaica so we want to continue the tradition and this is an opportunity for these youngsters to evaluate their skills.“I think this tour can sort of set the tone for future tours between Bermuda and Melbourne and our Jamaican teams. We’ve certainly heard a lot about Bermuda cricket and the guys from Melbourne are upbeat about coming to parade their skills.”