Strength coach putting Tallawahs on another level

Jamaica Tallawahs are seeking to improve on their fifth-place finish in last year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and one man who has been appointed to help them achieve this is strength and conditioning coach Anthony Kepple.

“The team is in excellent condition and we aim to maintain and improve their fitness levels as we go along the journey and most importantly, keep them injury-free for the tournament,” Kepple said.

The Jamaica Tallawahs got their 2022 CPL campaign off to a winning start after a 47-run victory over the defending champions, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, on Wednesday.

Kepple said this performance is an indication of the kind of shape the team is in.

“The team is in very good physical and mental shape and I think it has definitely shown in their positive performance so far,” he said.

The Tallawahs failed to make it to the semi-finals last year but Kepple said the team is expected to improve their performance this year. However, he offered no predictions as to whether or not the team will win the league.

“It is expected that the team’s fitness level will continue to improve and once they continue to apply themselves, we should continue to get positive results,” the coach said.

Kepple, a former Jamaica Defence Force player who is also the strength and conditioning coach for the Jamaican Scorpions, said his experience with these teams will help him to carry out his duties with the Jamaica Tallawahs team.

“Experience is critical in any discipline and for a tournament as fast paced as the CPL T20, I’ll be required to make adjustments to the programme to get the best outcome for each player based on the circumstances and my previous coaching experience which allowed me to interact with different persons of varying fitness levels within the cricket fraternity as well as outside will be key,” Kepple said.

He said being a part of the team is an amazing opportunity for him and he hopes to achieve the objectives he has planned out for the success of the team.

“It is an amazing feeling to represent my country by supporting the Jamaica Tallawahs players,” he said. “My objective in general is to keep the players physically and mentally ready (at all times) for the tournament.”