Bailey’s Bay Cricket Club announced a major coup over the weekend, with the news that Gus Logie, the West Indies Test legend and former Bermuda coach, has taken over the reins at Sea Breeze Oval.

The Trinidadian assumes the role of head coach of the Eastern Counties giants in time for the new season, hoping to use his vast knowledge to enhance the programme at Bay.

“We have invested in Gus Logie to help our programme grow and he’s here to help us as coaches, how to run a cricket programme,” said Irving Romaine, the Bay director of cricket.

Romaine was Bermuda captain when Logie took the team to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

“It’s an investment for Bailey’s Bay to become so much better, with our youth programme as well as our seniors,” he said. “As we move forward with Gus, we definitely hope he leaves his legacy like he did from 2005 [during World Cup qualifying] and passes on his knowledge so Bailey’s Bay can grow for the future.”

Terryn Fray, the club captain and also a national team player, is excited to have the former West Indies Test batsman at the club this summer.

“On behalf of the cricket team, we look forward to having Coach Logie with us this season, teaching us some things that I think we probably missed in the last couple of years,” he said..

“One of the things I’ve always craved at Bailey’s Bay was indeed the structure and there’s no doubt that coach Logie brings structure to the organisation as the new coach, to get back and instil some of the basics and instil the culture that Bailey’s Bay used to have.

“These are great times for Bailey’s Bay, so I’m looking forward to this season, looking forward to growing as a team, a unit and as a club.”

Logie is excited to be involved in coaching again this season, a passion of his since his playing days ended in the early 1990s.

He was a part of the formidable West Indies team in the 1980s, playing 52 Test matches between 1983 and 1991, scoring 2,470 runs and 158 ODIs between 1981 and 1993, scoring 2,808 runs.

“Mr President [Stephen Outerbridge], Mr Chairman [Romaine], captain [Fray], supporters of Bailey’s Bay Cricket Club, it’s an honour and pleasure to be a part of this year’s cricket season,” Logie said as he addressed the members.

“It’s a vision that was shared and articulated to me by the president, Mr Outerbridge, and also the director of cricket and, of course, the captain. The need to see a structured development programme, a committed programme where we can see the development of players, not only on the field of play but off the field.

“It’s an opportunity to teach the young players how the game should be played and in the end of the day hoping to see a change in attitude and approach to the game and to life in general.

“This whole vision stems from seeing, and wanting to see, cricket at the club level in Bermuda improve but at the national level as well.

“One hopes that what we do here at Bailey’s Bay will be replicated not only throughout the club system but also at the national level because we are trying to produce champions. Not only champions for the clubs and the community, but the national team as well.”

Logie added: “I want to thank again the management team of Bailey’s Bay Cricket Club for investing in me by giving me the opportunity to influence, guide and help teach the young players to be better individuals and better players.

“Again, thank you for the opportunity and I hope that this season will be one that we’ll all remember for all the good things that can happen on and off the field.”

Club president Outerbridge is excited about Logie’s appointment and inspired enough that he plans to resume playing this summer.

“First I want to thank our sponsors, Bermuda Drywall, in helping to pretty much cover his salary for the duration of the short contract,” Outerbridge told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

“Without them I don’t think this could have happened. Also the Bermuda Government who have invested in our cricket facilities.”

Outerbridge said the club was watching the development with the Bermuda Cricket Board over its advertisement for a national coach before seeking Logie’s availability.

“We were waiting to see what the Bermuda Cricket Board was going to do,” Outerbridge said. “It gave us an opportunity. It’s been that type of presidency where these things are almost falling in my lap and it was just a matter of making a decision.

“We have a lot of people who are supportive of the decision; they want to see better at clubs and better infrastructure, coaching, decision-making. If we can get that right, I’m sure we can make a positive impact in our community.”

The president added: “I’m just looking forward to the 2022 cricket season. Yes, I have decided I will come back and play, I don’t think I told anybody that I retired.

“This is a wonderful opportunity, our facilities will be getting updated and the club is progressing well off the field. The time is right to come back and play and hopefully do a job for the team.

“Most important is we have a lot of young players around the club, involved with the club or away in school at the moment, and for them to have somebody like Gus Logie here coaching them every day is huge.”