Ledgister looks to coach for God
Published:Thursday | August 9, 2018 | 12:00 AM
There is a school of thought that says regular practise produces perfection, but when one who is a firm believer in God, who is always winning, it might be fair to ask, "Is it perfection, or divine intervention"?
This was the frank question Family & Religion put to Clive Ledgister, coach of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Schoolboy Cricket team at the St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS). Ledgister and his squad recently dominated the ISSA/GraceKennedy Schoolboy Cricket Awards Ceremony in Mandeville, Manchester.
They copped the ISSA/GraceKennedy Headley Cup; the ISSA/GraceKennedy Financial Group Spaulding Cup and the ISSA/GraceKennedy T-20 All-Island Cup. Ledgister has been coaching students at STETHS for the past 12 years and has won the titles 11 of those years.
But in an interview, coach Ledgister made the startling revelation that he is now contemplating coaching for God.
He has set a five-year timeline by which he intends to be baptised, settle down and surrender his all to God almighty.
"In everything that we do, or that I do, I believe in God. I don't believe that I have the next three years in the secular world. Basically, I want to give my life to God because to me, there are two sides to life good and bad. After living for so many years and seen what the world has to offer, then I have to make a decision which direction I am going," reasoned Ledgister.
Quoting from biblical scriptures, he referenced that the Bible says that it is appointed unto man to live three scores and ten, he admitted that he has lived way past aged 35 and now is the time for him to make a serious decision with his life.
Besides God in the midst of his coaching prowess of the STETHS cricket team, he said as part of their strategy is planning and preparing exceptionally well. For those high school cricket teams that are not always in the top numbers, this is Ledgister's take: "You may find that a lot of schools are not doing well, but it's not easy to run a programme, as it comes with lots of ingredients."
Significant support
"You have to get significant support from the school's administration and the grounds man. You have to teach the youth how to both play cricket and how to love it.
I personally think the passion for the sport is somewhat drifting, or there is a culture change and I'm seeing it evidenced at STETHS and at other schools where the passion for cricket is no longer there," Ledgister said.
He blames indiscipline as one of the major challenges facing youngsters and society in general, citing that if schools are not focused on running a programme and winning, it will never be easy to defeat STETHS.
He is thankful to the GraceKennedy Group for their continued sponsorship of the sport since 2001 of approximately $160 million, which has afforded him and all the many other coaches the benefit of coaching so many youngsters, thereby positively impacting their lives.
All-rounder of the STETHS team, Andrew McCarthy, is one of the many students who have benefited from the training and discipline. He too is thankful to the Gracekennedy Group and shares similar sentiments as that of his coach. But as Ledgister begins the journey to becoming a Christian, he said he has faced so many obstacles in his life and each time he stares down the tunnel that is when he turns to God.
"Every time I turn to God, my life changes. As soon as that happens, I become complacent again. Now I have to focus on God."
His reason for giving himself a five-year timetable is that he wants to harness financial independence to do missionary work instead of being a member of a congregation.