Pooran leaves Queen’s Park, returns home to Clarke Rd

WEST Indies wicket-keeper batsman Nicholas Pooran is returning to his boyhood club FC Clarke Road Utd after spending more than five years at Queen’s Park Cricket Club.

A media release by Clarke Road Utd on Monday, said, “West Indies white ball star and Lucknow Super Giants Indian Premier League signee Nicholas Pooran has returned to his former club Clarke Road United.”

Pooran grew up on the Penal-based team. When he first started playing for the TT Red Force and the TT Red Steel (now Trinbago Knight Riders) at age 17 he was still a member of Clarke Road. He also played national youth cricket and West Indies Under-19 cricket while a member of Clarke Road.

Pooran said although he was not “always physically with the organisation he always cherished and valued the work put into his career and the positive encouragement he got from the Clarke Road family.” He made special mention of former national youth coach Dasrath Maharaj.

Speaking about Pooran’s early years, the release said, “Nicholas started his very successful career as a teenager at Clarke Road Utd under the keen development eye and watchful tutelage of coaches Roland Sampath and the late Dasrath Maharaj. In 2014, the immensely talented left-hander played a key role in Clarke Road Utd lifting the TTCB Sunday League title.”

Pooran knows he is not the only quality player Clarke Road have produced as former TT and West Indies players Adrian Barath and Daren Ganga were part of the club. The West Indies trio of Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy and Odean Smith also spent time with Clarke Road.

“Clarke Road Utd is extremely proud of the achievements of Nicholas Pooran as a player and as a person, and we are excited to have him back within our fold. We eagerly look forward to working with Nicholas to keep producing quality cricketers and citizens of TT.”