As Bermuda plan for life without Gus Logie it would be remiss of me not to say a hardy farewell to one of the best coaches that I have ever been affiliated with.

Gus has made a tremendous impact on Bermuda cricket and leaves some big shoes for the next coach to fill. Gus will always be remembered as the coach that took Bermuda to their first ever Cricket World Cup.

Gus came to the Island when Bermuda was at its worst. When it was first revealed that we were getting another coach from the West Indies I was a little sceptical, I must admit. Not that the West Indies do not produce good coaches, but having had the pleasure of being coached by Bob Simpson and Darryl Cullinan, I just didn't know if he would impress me.

That doubt was quickly erased after our very first team-talk and training session in Trinidad. At that point I knew he was the right man for the job. Even though he was small in stature his cricket knowledge made up for that.

At the start of Gus Logie's coaching tenure every player believed in him and worked hard for him, something I had never seen in Bermuda.

Gus helped us believe that World Cup qualifying was not just a dream, but it could become a reality. His confidence rubbed off on all of the players. Gus committed himself to the goal of qualifying like no other coach and the players supported that.

Oftentimes you would see Gus along with a few players, and sometimes it was just one player, at the National Stadium training ground during their lunch hours putting in extras. Any player would tell you lunchtime work-outs were gruelling, but very rewarding.

On the way to qualifying, Bermuda would defeat several of the powerhouse teams under Gus Logie's leadership, thus helping the players to believe even more. Once in Ireland, Gus knew his team were prepared, ready and hungry.

It was there and then that I had to really put my faith in Gus as a coach because after pulling my hamstring and losing the first game the team went on an amazing run of victories.

The moment then arrived, the biggest game of Bermuda's history, against the USA. The team warmed up and I was put through a fitness test only to have Gus tell me I wasn't needed.

A feeling went over my body like never before. I had lived my whole cricket life to get to this point. The opportunity to qualify for Cricket World Cup was staring us right in the face and I would play no part. Initially I was shattered, but I quickly remembered that God was in control of our fate and I believed in the team and supported them for every ball until the final catch was taken.

Seeing Albert Steede dive and take the winning catch was exhilarating. The feeling that we experienced at that moment was out of this world, indescribable. Gus had pulled off a miracle. He had done what many onlookers thought was mission impossible, but credit had to also go to the players for their dedication, commitment and performance.

After coming home to a thunderous reception that was well deserved, one could only imagine what was to come next. With the Government investing $11 million into cricket, it was inevitable that cricket would go from strength to strength, but in reality the total opposite happened.

The Cricket Board and the players were in long talks about finances reaching the point where the dispute had to be settled by arbitration. This definitely took the focus away from the cricket side of things.

During the next two years Bermuda would face all top associate teams prior to the Cricket World Cup. A period went by where the national team were winless for a long streak, thus causing Bermudians to ask for Gus to be replaced, along with the senior players in the team. However, Gus is a fighter, not a quitter and he hung on and fought through the adversity.

Personally, I believe that most of the criticism he received was unfair. The players really should have taken the blame because as a group we became complacent knowing that we were going to the World Cup and that whether we performed or not, we were still going to go.

For me it was hard because I was looking on from the outside as I went through my knee operation during this streak. I must commend Gus for allowing me to still travel with the team and stay close to the guys so that I knew exactly what was going on in the preparations.

Upon my return from injury I thought I would be reinstated to the captaincy, but that wasn't to be the case. Gus sat me down in South Africa and gave me the bad news upon which my heart almost dropped out of my chest. It was by far the worst moment of my career. For the first time in my life I was speechless.

Anyway, life under Gus continued and the team would continue to struggle right up until Cricket World Cup and during Cricket World Cup. It was at World Cup that things started to fall apart. Player versus manager issues, players feeling neglected, players not getting an opportunity to play etc. This brought about a massive exodus from several top players at the completion of the World Cup.

From there on Gus appeared to take a different approach and it was noticeable to the players. He became more of a technical director in the players' eyes while Herbie Bascome took on the majority of the coaching role.

Gus then invited me to be part of his coaching team. It was an honour to work with him because I had learned so much from him as a player and would learn even more as a coach.

If there was one single thing that I learned from Gus as a captain and as a coach it was to separate yourself from the team when necessary. As a coach and captain you want to communicate with your team, but you cannot be too buddy-buddy with them because they start to look at you in a different light and it becomes hard to keep their respect.

As a coach, Gus was a role model to all of his players and coaches. He is a believer in the Lord and always shows tremendous faith. He has a beautiful family who we are going to miss dearly.

Gus, I think I can speak on behalf of the Cricket World Cup team and all the players you ever worked with – we say thank you. You have taught us all some valuable lessons. We wish you the best in your future endeavours. We love you, as a country we honour you, we respect you; you and your family will always be welcome here in Bermuda.

In closing, it is so sad to see you have to go, but as one chapter closes another one opens. Bermuda will forever be indebted to you. Again, thank you and we thank your family, for supporting you for the last four years. May God Bless you and your family!