Barbados create history after crushing Jamaica
By Keith Holder
Guyana Chronicle
April 7, 2003

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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC - With captain Courtney Browne labelling his side the "best in the Caribbean", Cup champions Barbados created history yesterday after crushing Jamaica by seven wickets in the final of the Carib Beer International Challenge to become the first to capture both titles in a West Indies first-class cricket season.

Set just 35 for victory following another sensational batting collapse by Jamaica, Browne's ruthless combination of experience and youth triumphed in 7.1 overs -- 20 minutes after lunch on the fourth and final day at Kensington Oval.

Ryan Hinds was unbeaten on 21 as the winning runs came from three leg byes to fine-leg with occasional bowler Brenton Parchment in operation.

Ecstatic spectators, one displaying a huge Barbados flag of ultra marine and gold with the broken trident, soon assembled in front of the Sir Garfield Sobers Pavilion for the presentation ceremony as Kurt Wilkinson, the 21-year-old Barbados batsman was named man-of-the-match for his second first-class century (125) in the Barbados first innings total of 369.

Starting the day on 166 for three in their second innings, still needing 19 more runs to avoid an innings defeat, Jamaica scored freely in the first 25 minutes before losing their last seven wickets for 32 runs in 18 overs as they were fired out by a four-pronged pace attack, for 219.

Leon Garrick, who resumed on 56, made 75 to follow his opening partner Parchment's top score of 82 on Saturday.

West Indies fast bowler Vasbert Drakes was the top wicket-taker with three for 44.

Apart from their double success, which added to the capture of the Regional limited overs championship in Jamaica last September, Barbados also set a couple other records.

Their five wins in the Carib Beer Cup, secured with a match to spare, made them the first team to win that number of matches inside three days in a season.

And they were also the only side to win both semifinal and final matches outright in the International championship, which has been contested for three years.

"It's a great feeling. It's a very, very good feeling. I never even realised how much hard work we had put in over the last few months to get this far," said Browne, who has been the Barbados captain in all of their last three championship successes.

"The guys are celebrating and I think it's going to be a long evening."

Browne, a former West Indies player, said Barbados had shown that experience and youth are vital ingredients for success.

"In all sports, you always need experience and youth in order to pull it off and that's what we did. We mixed it very well this year and hopefully we could keep it going like that and show the other countries the path to take in order to become victorious."

In relation to winning the last three regional championships and then sustaining such an excellent record, Browne said: "We can take the pressure.

We like the pressure. We play well under pressure and we know all about it.

When we look at the other teams, they are not as strong as Barbados and they really can't put pressure on us because we will soak up that pressure and then return it to them.

"So we are not worried about any team. We are the best team in the Caribbean without doubt. We have proved it now."

Jamaica captain Robert Samuels was gracious in defeat, saying Barbados displayed more professionalism throughout.

"I thought the more professional team won. I thought the Barbados team came with a plan and they stuck to it better than we did," said Samuels, a former West Indies opening batsman.

Asked if his decision to field first despite having nine accredited batsmen showed a defensive frame of mind, Samuels responded: "The Barbados pitch on the first morning usually assists fast bowling. It's a new pitch but Barbados had four fast bowlers and we needed the extra stuff the pitch would give.

"We had them 98 for three and after that we just did not bowl enough wicket-taking deliveries."

Samuels said Jamaica's undoing was a result of indifferent batting.

"The pitch did not out anybody, so I would not say it was a wrong or bad decision to bowl first. I thought we could have taken a leaf out of Barbados' book. Look at how (Floyd) Reifer (88) and Wilkinson (who added 191 for the fourth wicket) batted.

They batted long and that was necessary. Two of our top five batsmen should have done the same and that's where we lost it.

"We got starts but just didn't continue and then the experience of the Barbados bowling was vital. (Corey) Collymore (who took five for 44 in the first innings) bowled an excellent line and length. I told my players to be wary of him and they weren't. We weren't professional enough.

The guys were a bit tired coming from Guyana (for the semifinal) and I thought they decided to leave it for another batsman," Samuels asserted.

The collapse started when all-rounder David Bernard, who has been included in the West Indies 14-man squad for the first time for the opening Test against Australia in Georgetown on Thursday, fell to West Indies left-arm pacer Pedro Collins.

Driving through the line, Bernard, who started the day on five, was caught at extra-cover for 20 after a 43-run partnership with Garrick.

Ricardo Powell again failed, edging a drive off Collins to first slip where Reifer took a low catch before he had scored.

Drakes accounted for Garrick, leg-before-wicket without playing a stroke after the little right-hander spent 246 minutes at the crease. He faced 173 balls and struck seven boundaries.

Pushing forward, Gareth Breese (1) edged Drakes to first slip for Reifer to take another low catch.

The Jamaica batting stretches to No.9 and there was probably some hope that Keith Hibbert would follow Robert Samuels in hanging around, but Hibbert had other ideas.

After advancing and trying to lift fast bowler Tino Best over the top and missing, Hibbert (2) attempted the stroke in the bowler's next over. It resulted in a skied catch to mid-on for Best's only wicket of the match but his 39th of the season as the leading wicket-taker.

Robert Samuels' 79-minute vigil for eight during which he faced 48 balls, ended shortly afterwards as he edged Drakes to second slip.

Finally, Jerome Taylor, backing up too far for a suicidal single was run-out at the non-striker's end following a direct throw from Sherwin Campbell at midwicket.

Barbados soon lost Philo Wallace, bowled by Bernard for a duck as he drove across the line, and Campbell (5), stepping on the stumps while pulling Jermaine Lawson to mid-on.

They lunched at 20 for two and then Reifer (1) helped Lawson into the hands of square-leg before the inevitable result.

BARBADOS 1st innings 369 (K.Wilkinson 125; G.Breese 4-97)
Jamaica 1st innings 184 (B.Parchment 52; C.Collymore 5-44)
JAMAICA 2nd innings (o/n 166 for 3)
L. Garrick lbw b Drakes 75
B. Parchment c Wallace b Hurley 82
W. Hinds c Collymore b Hurley 2
M. Samuels c wkp. Browne b Collymore 13
D. Bernard c Hurley b Collins 20
R. Powell c Reifer b Collins 0
*R. Samuels c Wilkinson b Drakes 8G. Breese c Reifer b Drakes 1
+K. Hibbert c Collins b Best 2
J. Lawson not out 2
J. Taylor run-out 0
Extras: (lb-1, lb-3, nb-10) 14
Total: (all out, 66.5 overs) 219
Fall of wickets: 1-111, 2-125, 3-144, 4-187, 5-194, 6-206, 7-212, 8-215, 9-217.
Bowling: Best 5.5-1-13-1, Drakes 12-5-44-3 (nb-4), Hurley 17-3-43-2, Hinds 8-0-27-0, Collymore 12-3-46-1 (nb-2), Collins 12-1-42-2 (nb-4).

BARBADOS 2nd Innings
P. Wallace b Bernard 0
S. Campbell hit wicket b Lawson 5
R. Hinds not out 21
F. Reifer c Parchment b Lawson 1
K. Wilkinson not out 0
Extras: (lb-3, w-1, nb-4) 8
Total: (3 wkts, 7.1 overs) 35
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-10, 3-23.
Bowling: Lawson 3-0-12-2 (w-1, nb-1), Bernard 3-0-20-1 (nb-2), Garrick 1-1-0-0, Parchment 0.1-0-0-0.
Result: Barbados won by 7 wickets

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