Anguilla target Ashes inspiration

By Matt Majendie

The Ashes will inspire one country in particular in Melbourne

England's Ashes success will be the unlikely inspiration for one small Caribbean country at the Commonwealth Games.

Cricket-mad Anguilla covers just 96 square kilometres and boasts a population of 12,000.

But the reason for their England influence is Cardigan Connor, the former Hampshire fast bowler who will be Anguilla's chef de mission in Melbourne.

Connor, who will head up an unfancied team of four cyclists and two athletes, told BBC Sport: "I don't expect our guys to win any golds but everyone likes to cheer on the underdogs.

"In a bid to inspire them I'll make sure to bring up England's Ashes success in my pre-competition pep talk."

The 44-year-old was in England last summer but only for the one-day series.

However, he admitted he and the rest of Anguilla were glued to the television for the epic five Tests.

"I remember when we were at Hampshire and we were up against it on a rainy day we'd watch the British and Irish Lions in South Africa," he recalled.

"No one fancied them there but they still pulled it off. The likes of Michael Vaughan and Freddie Flintoff did the same in the summer, and I can only hope my guys do their best."

At my benefit year at Hampshire I had this photo of Shania Twain and all my team-mates were like 'you get to massage her and get paid for it' Cardigan Connor

Three of Anguilla's four cyclists at the Games - the Bryan brothers and Kris Pradel - will be at their second Games having travelled to Manchester four years ago.

Connor, a former fast bowler, may seem an unlikely team boss having never competed in a Commonwealth event.

But he explained: "They felt I was the best person in terms of my contacts in Manchester four years ago to get funding and to organise things.

"And because of my cricketing past that has helped me for Melbourne this time around."

Anguilla clearly lack the budget of many of the higher-profile countries at the event.

And as a result, Connor could be forced to multi-task, even stretching as far as massaging some of the athletes under his charge.

"It's not as strange as it sounds," he insisted, "as I'm a qualified masseuse."

Away from the Games, he works both as a masseuse and as the island's cricket development officer.

The first of his two jobs has seem him quite literally rub shoulders with the rich and famous, his personal favourite being Shania Twain.

"I remember at my benefit year at Hampshire I had this photo of Shania," he said, "and all my team-mates were like 'you get to massage her and get paid for it'.

"I guess I'm lucky - maybe it's payback for being good in my life!"

He will be hoping his luck rubs off on his Anguillan athletes in the next fortnight.