On The Cricket Pitch

The Mighty Quinn

Philip Hackett

Friday,  August 5, 2005

It’s been a busy summer for William Quinn and it’s not over yet. The 18-year-old opening batsman has played more cricket over the last three weeks than many local cricketers experience in a season, and there is more to come as he sets off for Canada this weekend with the Cayman under 19 team.

The national junior squad will be competing in the Americas under-19 tournament, and Quinn, the team’s vice captain, should be one of the most prepared, having just competed in the Sir Gary Sobers International Schools competition.

This is an annual tournament held in Barbados, and Quinn was able to sharpen not only his batting skills, but also his leadership qualities, as he is the captain of his Scottish school team, Merchiston Castle.

His leadership skills have immensely impressed his school coach Charles Swan, who spoke very highly of him as the players prepared to return to their hotel after one of their scheduled games had been postponed due to wet conditions.

“In 31 years of coaching he is the best school captain I have ever seen,” the coaching director said of the young Caymanian cricketer.

“He is a very good batsman who puts a high price on his wicket. He is a very careful batsman who works very hard at his game,” said Swan who also, in addition to his duties as Director of Sport, coaches Rugby and teaches history at the school.

Swan has been at the school for the past 18 years, having previously spent 13 years in England.

It is the fifth occasion Merchiston has participated in the Sir Gary Sobers competition. They reached the semi finals in their first outing in 1992 before losing to Grenada schools. They returned in 1994, 1996, 1999, and again this year when the team won three of the seven matches played.

The result was not in keeping with the phenomenal winning record of the school but it was a healthy learning experience for the young cricketers.

For the second time in its history Merchiston Castle won every match played during their season. The first occasion was in 2003. Prior to the Sobers tournament they had won 31 out of the last 32 matches played, including fixtures against English schools.

It is this rich cricketing environment that has played such a major role in the development of Quinn who is hoping to spend some time at a cricket academy in Australia on completion of his duties with the under-19 team.
The talented, confident cricketer was unable to record a big score in the recently concluded tournament in Barbados but had good starts with scores of 42, 46, 35 and an unbeaten 14 being his best efforts.

“It’s been really good. The cricket has been tough as we expected. We are getting used to the heat. It’s never this hot in Scotland,” said Quinn after his third match in the competition. Quinn has spent so much of his life in England and Scotland that acclimatising to the scorching bajan sun was no easier for him as a Caymanian than for his Scottish born team-mates.

“Scotland is usually cold and overcast. There is more swing and movement, which is an advantage for bowlers. The pitches are usually slower and lower,” Quinn explained in comparing conditions there to Barbados.

Quinn said the Sir Gary Sobers tournament is of a higher level than is customary for his team.

“My team-mates were surprised by the hardness of the pitches and the uneven outfields which make fielding difficult.”

Quinn looks forward to the day when more Caymanian cricketers get the opportunity to play in the annual school tournament in Barbados as the Bermudian school children were able to do for the first time this year.

“It would be good for Cayman teams to help in their development,” Quinn said, noting that Bermuda’s success in qualifying for the 2007 cricket World Cup should provide encouragement for the general cricket population here in Cayman.

Quinn has been the captain of his school team for the past two years and had the distinction of being in charge of the more senior players last year.
“It was pretty daunting but it benefited me this year because I had last year’s experience.” His record is quite impressive, as he has only lost one match in two seasons of school league competition.

While Quinn is passionate about his cricket he plans to follow in his father’s footsteps and is preparing to study law. He still does not rule out the possibility of playing cricket professionally if the opportunity comes along.

“I want to play at as high a standard as possible and enjoy it as much as possible.”

William gets plenty of support and ‘constructive criticism’ from brothers Tom and Nick as well as parents Charles and Diana Quinn.

Cricket Pitch wishes William and the Cayman under-19 squad all the best as they represent these Islands on the international stage.

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