Editing Curtly Ambrose (section)

==Early life and career==
Ambrose was born in [[Swetes]], [[Antigua]] on 21 September 1963,<ref name=Cricinfo>{{cite web|title=Curtly Ambrose (ESPNCricinfo profile)|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/51107.html|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=29 August 2012}}</ref> the fourth of seven children. His father was a carpenter from a village.<ref name=Streeton>{{Cite news | last = Streeton |first = Richard |title = Ambrose follows famous footsteps | newspaper = The Times  | location = London  | page = 46 | date = 23 March 1988}}</ref> The family had no background in cricket,<ref name=Streeton/> but his mother was a fan,<ref name=Express>{{cite news |last=Sundaresan |first=Bharat |title=Curtly Ambrose, a reluctant cricketer who became a legend |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/curtly-ambrose-a-reluctant-cricketer-who-became-a-legend/802820/0|newspaper=The Indian Express |access-date=30 August 2012|date = 13 June 2011}}</ref> and Ambrose played in his youth, primarily as a batsman. At school, he performed well academically, particularly in mathematics and French, and became an [[Apprenticeship|apprentice]] carpenter upon leaving at the age of 17.<ref name=Streeton/><ref name=Express/> He briefly considered emigrating to America.<ref name=coy>{{Cite book| chapter = Curtly Ambrose (Cricketer of the Year) | title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack  | year = 1992 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co | location = London |pages=65–66 | isbn = 978-0-947766-19-1 }}<!--|access-date = 30 August 2012--></ref> At the time, his favourite sport was basketball, although he occasionally [[Umpire (cricket)|umpired]] cricket matches. Ambrose was not particularly tall until he reached his late teens, when he grew several inches to reach a height of {{convert|6|ft|7|in}}. Around this time, his mother encouraged him to become more involved in cricket.<ref name=Express/> Success as a [[Fast bowling#Categorisation of fast bowling|fast bowler]] in a softball cricket match persuaded Ambrose to play in some club matches at the age of 20. He quickly attracted the attention of coaches and progressed to the [[St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda|St John's]] cricket team.<ref name=Streeton/> Selected in the Leeward Islands competition, he took seven for 67 (seven [[Wicket#Dismissing a batsman|wickets]] for 67 [[Run (cricket)|runs]]) for [[Antigua and Barbuda national cricket team|Antigua]] against St Kitts.<ref name=Lawrence>Lawrence and Goble, p. 12.</ref> He made his [[First-class cricket|first-class]] debut for the [[Leeward Islands cricket team|Leeward Islands]] in 1985–86 and took four wickets in the game,<ref name=coy/> but failed to retain his place the following year.

A [[Viv Richards]] scholarship provided funding for him to play club cricket in England for [[Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club]] in the highly rated [[Liverpool and District Cricket Competition|Liverpool Competition]] during 1986 where he took 84 wickets at an average of 9.80. The following year, he returned to England to play for [[Heywood Cricket Club]] in the [[Central Lancashire Cricket League|Central Lancashire League]], for whom he took 115 wickets in the season; these experiences helped to improve his bowling technique.<ref name=Streeton/>

Upon his return to Antigua, Ambrose practised intensely,<ref name=Streeton/> regained his place in the Leeward Islands team and, in the absence of leading bowlers [[Winston Benjamin]] and [[Eldine Baptiste]] with the West Indies team, became the main attacking bowler in the side.<ref name=Streeton/> He was [[no-ball]]ed for [[Throwing (cricket)|throwing]] in the first match, which ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]]'' later attributed to confusion caused by his attribute of flicking his wrist prior to releasing the ball to impart extra pace, and there were no subsequent doubts about the legality of his bowling action.<ref name=coy/> Retaining his place when the international bowlers returned, he took 35 wickets—including 12 in a match against [[Guyana national cricket team|Guyana]], of which nine were [[bowled]]—in five matches in the competition.<ref name=Streeton/><ref name=Lawrence/> ''Wisden's'' report on the West Indian season said his performance was "dominant", although few had heard of him previously. Identifying his [[yorker]] as his most effective delivery, it noted that he "never lost his pace, his accuracy, or his thirst for wickets".<ref>{{Cite book| last = Cozier | first = Tony | title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack| year = 1989 | editor-last=Wright | editor-first=Graeme| publisher = John Wisden & Co| chapter = Cricket in the West Indies, 1987–88| location = London| isbn = 0-947766-13-8| page = 1,062}}</ref>