Is it the same Richard Louis who was a member of the famous Barbados track and field 4 x 400 metres quartet that qualified for the final at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics?

The answer is a loud, yes.

And, despite living in the United States for some time, he still has a pronounced Bajan accent.

United States, participating in a West Indies cricket competition for the first time at any level, have easily been outclassed in the Red Stripe Bowl, but Louis is one of the few who have made an impression.

As a fast-medium bowler, he has sent down one or two tidy spells, although he came in for some lashes from Philo Wallace's punishing blade on Friday.

Most people will ask why has the former outstanding quarter-miler become involved in cricket, a sport which has not attracted widespread attention among native Americans.

``I used to play BCL (Barbados Cricket League) cricket for Melbourne and I also had a season with Carlton in Division 1,'' he told SunSport.

``When I was going to college in the DC area, I just continued to play cricket, but not at a high level.''

After graduating, he remained in the United States, but the 34-year-old is no longer active in track and field these days.

``I do it for recreation now. I only do it for exercise and to try to stay in shape,'' said the man who was part of that record-breaking Barbados track team that included Elvis Forde, Richard Peltier and Clyde Edwards.

Louis wants to return to Barbados in the near future, but he will remain up north for the time being because his daughter is preparing to start college.

While there, he will continue to work in New York as a child protection caseworker.

``There are families which have all kinds of problems – drugs, alcohol, and so on – with court-ordered supervisions. The court assigns cases and I have to supervise the families for a period. It could be for a few months or even up to a year.''

The United States comprise many West Indians, including the former Jamaica batsman Richard Staple and former Guyana youth captain Nizam Hafiz. However, they lost each of their three preliminary matches in the Red Stripe Bowl, managing totals of 88, 107 and 158 for nine.

Louis identified one major reason for the dismal showing.

``We do have good quality players but the preparation was the problem for this level,'' he said.

``One of the problems is that cricket is being played for only six months a year and when winter comes around there is no indoor facility.

``You have a situation in California and Florida where they are able to play the cricket year-round because of their weather conditions but in New York it is totally different.''

He added that the game was still not yet a big hit among Americans.

``Most of the people who play cricket there are West Indians and are from a cricket background.''