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UEL staff and students bowled over by visit from cricket legend Michael Holding

Thursday 20 September 2012

Michael Holding

West Indies cricket legend, and arguably the greatest fast bowler of all time, Michael Holding, visited the University of East London yesterday to speak to staff and students about his own career, the state of international cricket today and life in the Sky commentary box.

Holding, who took questions from a panel of staff and students about his illustrious career, was a key player in the West Indies team, which dominated international cricket at a time of global race riots and apartheid, with an unbeaten run that lasted from the mid-Seventies to the early Nineties. He was also the lynchpin of the team’s fearsome bowling line-up, infamously described as the ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse’.

He said: “I have great memories, travelling all over the world, meeting so many different people, seeing so many different countries and cultures. Travelling is the greatest education you can ever have. Apart from that, the cricket was great; we won a lot which always helps.”  

“What we need to do is try and instil the same confidence back in the youngsters at home in the Caribbean; let them know what is possible, put the infrastructure in place so that they will want to play the game, just like you are doing here at the University of East London.”

During an inspirational session, Michael encouraged students to take part in the enormous range of sporting opportunities available at UEL, saying: “When I was at school in Jamaica, there were so many talented youngsters around me, people who played sport better than I did, great athletes – they didn’t get the opportunity to pursue their talents because their parents emigrated or they had to become the bread winners and go to work. So once you have that opportunity, don’t waste it, make sure you capitalise on it.”

“There are so many different sports you can get involved in here. You might be sitting watching people doing something, thinking I can’t do that, but if you don’t try you’ll never know – just sitting on your backside isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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