By Neto Baptiste
Legendary former West Indies batsman, Sir Vivian Richards, has praised former manager and player, Hugh Gore, for the level of professionalism and discipline he brought to both the game and role.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, the former captain said Gore commanded respect from even the great players of the day, holding them to the highest standard.
“Hucy [Hugh Gore] was a disciplinarian, and it made the job so much easier, because the respect that the players would have for Hucy would just make that tour the tour that you wanted to on, because you knew everyone understood what they should and should not be doing, and Hucy always made sure of that, and because of the respect for Hugh you had guys who would stick to whatever code where the discipline factors and so were concerned,” he said.
Gore, who managed both the senior men’s national team and the Leeward Islands cricket team for many years, said that above all other things, he demanded a level of discipline from all players and ensured that those who failed to fall in line were dealt with.
“You just had to be disciplined, and they would tell you that I was a players’ manager, but I never stood for anything but discipline. I thank God for that; even during my tenure as manager, the respect I got from not only players from the Leeward Islands but from others, and that’s the type of manager I was, that if they allowed me to, I would speak to people from the opposing side,” he said. Gore claimed 57 career first-class wickets at an average of 33.63. He played for the Combined Islands and the Leeward Islands in the West Indies, spent a season with the Border Second XI in South Africa and finished his career with a season at Somerset County Cricket Club in England.