Tag Archives: Errol Clarke

Back Pain: How Low Can You Go?

Posted on by

Back pain is so common now that most people don’t even get it seen to. They suffer in relative silence and inevitably do more damage than intended.

Often, sufferers will forget how the pain started in the first place and have a routine to get themselves through daily life. In today’s pressurised environment, some take a cocktail of analgesics and anti-inflammatory tablets for quick relief, while running on a tight schedule. But this makes the body’s tolerance of pain killers higher and the effects either wear off quicker, or they just don’t work as they used to.

Apart from the lack of care from the body’s owner, day-to-day maintenance is also something that is overlooked. Routine is something we incorporate into our lives for the ease of planning and coping with our work, home and social life.

So why do we ignore what could be a serious injury? There are a number of reasons, but none of them are valid enough to be plausible as an excuse. ‘Not enough time’ seems to be the first one on the list. It’s considered the mother of all excuses and is hard to beat when it comes to answers. But it’s also the one that is the least valid. Simply, if you are put out of commission with a back that fails to function then all you have IS time!

The fact of the matter is simple. Back maintenance is easy, should be part of everyday routine, and the knowledge needed should not be seen as either the Holy Grail, or too boring to remember.

One of the first things we do in the morning is stretch, but that is more of a body reflex than a routine to release muscles that have been bunched up for hours in one position. A five minute stretch that incorporates the whole body will benefit your whole system inside and out. It does more good than just the feel-good factor to the muscles.

Many people have jobs that keep them static all day, so simple, regular movement keeps the muscles functioning and awake. Staying in one position can cause the body to send just enough blood and oxygen to the parts that it thinks need it. The result? You get tired! It’s simple I know, but children instinctively are always running around everywhere and the minute they stop to do something, they either get lethargic, or bored and run somewhere else.

Countless articles promote the benefits of water and how important it is to us. Our bodies are up to 80% water and we’re more dehydrated than we admit. The rule of thumb is, if your mouth is dry then you’re already dehydrated. As sentient beings, we allow this to become acceptable and it shouldn’t, as this will also help the back too.

The more hydrated the body is, the less likely the free radicals (no, not a protest cry, but atoms that cause tissue damage at the cellular level) are to locate in one area. Instead, the area will be flushed and muscle-repairing, oxygen-rich blood inhabits the area preventing scar tissue build up.

I could go on all day about the things we need to do to maintain our bodies and the bad habits we get into, but I’ll finish on a point which we all should know, with a bit that maybe you didn’t.

Posture and poise are not a show of pompous piousness, but a show of respect for the back. Slouching and hunching are arch (sorry about the pun) – enemies to the back and this can be avoided, even at the computer terminal.

Many people even get the recovery process wrong too. As I pointed out earlier, pain killers are something the body can get used to, but pain is also a strange thing. The body can get used to that too – if the pain is constant. Hot showers and baths to soothe a bad back are not good, as they can change the function of the muscle. Instead, the muscle must be allowed to pump blood through the affected area, not act like a cushion and pad the area out, as this can hinder recovery and movement.

The body is an amazing thing and the back allows it all to happen through a network of nerves, muscles and an intricate bone structure. So remember that a little bit of care, maintenance and a minor change to your routine can be the difference between a pain-free or persistent problem. Back to basics, you could say.

Fire In Babylon: Facing Devon Malcolm

Posted on by

DSC_0636 (Small)The first of June. One of those beautiful early sunny days made even brighter by the presence one of cricket’s sporting heroes – and undoubtedly England’s best fast bowler of the 20th century – Devon Malcolm.

After a kind and warm welcome from the Oval’s people and even nicer PR,  my first glimpse of nice guy Devon Malcolm saw him launching his trade mark fast bowling bombs at a brave man in a lion’s outfit. Yes, you read correctly. Not something you get to do every day, granted, but I thought I’d stick to the conventional padding when it came to my nerve-jangling turn.

The whole day was to promote Fire in Babylon, a DVD out on 6th June, about the unstoppable cricketing force that was the West Indies team in the 70s and 80s. For nigh on two decades, the Windies blew everyone away and dominated the world of cricket like no other team. Their skill, talent, genuine passion and  team spirit has rarely been rivalled.

Devon Eugene Malcolm was born on 22 February 1963 in Kingston, Jamaica. Ironically, he settled and played for England and became one of his adopted country’s best-ever fast bowlers. While the man himself would admit that his batting skills at the crease left a lot to be desired, his bowling made him globally known, feared and revered by the opposition.

For all those who are good at arithmetic, you’ll notice that Devon is 48 years old. But having faced the fast balls and the REALLY fast balls from Devon, it’s clear that he is not only in amazing form, but in exceptional shape for someone who was in first-class cricket for almost 20 years without injury hampering his lifestyle and throwing arm – a fact he is clearly thankful for. Whether those at the other end, like me, felt the same way in those seconds before he lets fly with a grenade-like delivery remained unsaid.

After receiving the blurring missiles from him at the crease (and even splitting my trousers dodging a super fast ball)  I was grateful for the experience of few minutes in his company for a calmer interview.

Errol Clarke: How does it feel being part of the historic era that really made cricket?

Devon Malcolm: Although it was a great privilege and honour to play for England, my early influences were totally around that iconic West Indian side. I’m talking about the 60s, 70s and 80s. Most guys in my era, at any age, played cricket. I don’t care where you come from! If you were from Australia, New Zealand, England, whatever, they have to be influenced by that West Indian side. So much so, that one of my heroes was Michael Holding. You’ve got guys like Colin Croft, Malcolm Marshall and guys like that! I was just a young boy growing up in Jamaica and the commentator was talking about Michael Holding taking a long run up to bowl. I didn’t even know what he looked like then, but I used to make a massive run up and ran faster than I used to bowl – and then eventually I learned HOW to bowl. Those guys were a massive influence in the 70s and even before that.

EC: Well, you almost had 20 years at first class cricket, were you not tempted to hit that magic 20?

DM: I had almost 20 years as a first class cricketer and I have played as an international, but to play as a fast bowler for that long without any major injuries is a blessing! I had a good lifestyle and was pretty strong and I am glad to have such a career that I could be asked back today and be able to still turn my arm over – and I am almost 50! And to be honest if you look at guys who have played the amount of international cricket, or first-class cricket that I have, they are pretty sore in the knee and their back and they may not even be fast bowlers. It’s hard work fast bowling! A very, very tough world.! I mean, man, fast bowling is a key part of cricket and a beautiful thing if you’re watching it – and terrifying if you’re in front of it.

EC: I can speak from first hand of it from today’s experience.

DM: You’re a brave man, a brave man. (Both laugh).

EC: Did you know that before you retired that you had THE best fast bowling analysis of the 20th century?

DM (smiling broadly) : Yeah, to be honest, I remember the day and we were playing the game against South Africa here in ’94 and walking off the field after taking 9 for 57. I remember the England captain, Michael Atherton, said: “Dev, do you realise what you’ve just done?” I said: “Every time I go out to play for England, or play cricket, I want to take all ten wickets!” and he replied: “Maybe so, but we will probably never see again one person dominate cricket again at this level!” And I said to him, “I tell you what. If you want it to mean something, then you guys go out and get the 140 runs we need to win the game.” And we went on to win and got the runs. Then it really meant something and the record still stands.

EC: The sixth best innings in bowling history.

DM: It’s only been done once and I call myself a quick bowler. You have your medium paced bowler and your spinners, but if you want to categorize then I am the only fast bowler to have done it. I have a video at home of Michael Holding bowling in 1976 against England. He was my hero, and watching him take England apart and then to come to the Oval and do the same to South Africa in the same place, it is almost as though it was written in the script for me to come and it’s unbelievable.

EC: You mentioned South Africa which has to be THE iconic match ever for you really.

DM: Indeed and doing a game like that against South Africa who had just come back into international cricket, all of a sudden I am getting calls from President Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu and that was after I had bowled their guys out! I was invited to Downing Street and met the President for lunch and stuff like that. It was a massive thing to do – and it was great!

EC: And tell me about Fire in Babylon.

DM: As we were talking about the iconic West Indies side, Fire in Babylon is a documentary about how they dominated the game for decades and are probably one of the best teams ever. It’s the history behind it all. It’s not something just to keep on the shelf, it’s something you buy to watch, I mean from an educational point of view. Show the kids, because probably a lot of kids playing now, even in the Caribbean, don’t realise where West Indian cricket is coming from. The camaraderie and the history behind it. The West Indies is made up of many islands and the binding force behind them as well.

EC: It is almost like a mantle to pass to the next generation.

DM: Indeed. So I think it would benefit youngsters, even in schools as part of the curriculum!

EC: That would be great, as you don’t see that sort of thing, where they learn from video analysis for sports. This shows the ‘why’, ‘where’, ‘and ‘how’ plus the team spirit and how they got together.

DM: Cricket is a great sport and a very successful one.

EC: If I could ask one last question before they pull you away to do some more bowling. The statement, ‘you guys are history’ and you obviously have a book of the same title as well. Did you ever think coming from where you were, as a youth growing up that you’d create history, write a book and BE in the history books as the best fast bowler of the 20th century? It’s an accolade to go from a boy in Jamaica to representing your adopted country and become a hero of the sport in people’s eyes. How does it all feel?

DM: It’s a great feeling, to have the opportunity to play cricket here and my first tour was back in Jamaica, land of my birth. They adopted me back straight away and cheered for me when I went out to play. I wanted West Indies to do well, but also wanted England to do well and it was a dream come true!

When I was at school in Jamaica, part of my learning to read was ‘Calypso Comes to Lord’s’. I used to read it and be dreaming and dreaming. And the picture I painted of Lord’s was even more vivid than it is right now. So to get the opportunity to come and play for England and play at Lord’s was a massive dream come true! It’s quite amazing. Those that influenced me played at Lord’s and here and to meet my heroes and to play against some of them as well is massive. I played with quite a few of them and I feel worthy. No job in the world would have given me the opportunity to have and do what I have done and I have no regrets at all.

Hopefully, I can promote the game and give youngsters every chance to shine and to promote Britain and get cricket back into schools. Hopefully, I will be able to get across to some of the black boys and get them playing cricket and onto the team like I did.

EC: Thank you for your time today and good luck with everything. All the best for the future.

Devon was then whisked away for more reporters to be terrorised by the youthful fast bowler in the green of the Oval. Meanwhile, I left with my body intact and a pleasant feeling after an interview with a man who was the greatest fast bowler England has ever had, but who remains, criminally, yet to be rewarded for his services to sport. Hopefully, if they do a sequel to Fire in Babylon, Devon Malcolm would have been not only rewarded by then, but featuring in the DVD too.

Fire in Babylon is released on the 6th of June.

DSC_0641 (Small)