BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Emerging shot-maker Kyle Corbin has credited the West Indies High Performance Centre (HPC) for his exciting form this season in the Regional First-Class Championship.

The 20-year-old right-hander has been one of the leading scorers in the tournament, pummelling 571 runs at an average of 38 to lead the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) batting.

Corbin, who has also kept wicket, says his spell at the HPC had helped to improve his technique and application.

“Last year at the HPC we did a lot of technical work on my batting and my keeping. We also did a lot of physical work in the gym and I was able to take those elements into my game during the season,” he explained.

“The coach would take us into the nets for one-on-one sessions on a regular basis and we were able to identify the areas that needed to be worked on.

“I’m still working my batting and I’m able to look and my game and indentify my strengths and my weak areas. I believe the stint at the HPC gave me a more mature and professional approach to the game.”

He added: “I’m happy for the time in the HPC and I just want to put all that I have gained into helping CCC win the final.

“That work is definitely paying off. I can also see a lot of the other players at the HPC have benefitted from the experience and that is very good for all of us.”

CCC will face Jamaica in the final of the Regional First Class Championship, starting at the 3Ws Oval here today.

Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, who picked up 25 wickets at 18 apiece for Guyana during the tournament, said he had also benefitted tremendously from his stint at the HPC.

“I’m learning more and more and one of the key things to being a good spinner is to be consistent. Overall, things worked out well. I’m putting into play all the things that I picked up at the HPC with the coaches,” said Permaul, who recently collected his 100th first-class wicket.

“During the first year at the HPC we did a lot of ‘spot’ bowling. Working with the coaches at the HPC helped me a lot and I was able to take the things that I learned into the season.

“The fitness part helped me a lot. During the season I felt a lot fitter. People think spin bowling is easy, but it’s not just about running up from a short run-up and just bowling.

“It requires a lot of stamina and after four days I used to be tired. But this year I found I had more stamina and more energy to continue. I believe the work I did at the HPC helped with that area of my game,” the 21-year-old added.

The HPC, a cricket academy, opened last year and is operated at the UWI Cave Hill Campus under director Toby Radford.