Barbados: Coach Sees No Problem With Team's Fielding (29 September 1998)

29 September 1998

Barbados: Coach Sees No Problem With Team's Fielding

by Haydn Gill

Notwithstanding concerns over Barbados' fielding, team coach William Bourne believes it was of a high standard at the recent Commonwealth Games.

And he is predicting that Philo Wallace's team will qualify for the final of the forthcoming Red Stripe Bowl.

As Barbados intensified their preparations for the start of next week's regional limited-overs cricket championship with a practice session at the Empire Club ground yesterday, Bourne reacted to scepticism about the fielding expressed by chairman of selectors Charlie Griffith last week.

"The fielding was quite good actually. The ground fielding was excellent," Bourne said about the performance at the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia where Barbados just failed to advance to the medal round.

"There was that game against South Africa when we dropped two catches. It would seem, because of that, our fielding wasn't good, but our fielding was good throughout the tournament."

He added, however, that a lot of attention would be focussed on fielding over the new few days.

The Barbados Cricket Association's full-time coach described the Commonwealth Games as "good preparation" for the Red Stripe Bowl and was of the view Barbados would make the final after a disappointing showing in the inaugural competition last year.

"With a little bit of luck and obviously a lot of application, concentration, we should do quite well," he told NATIONSPORT.

"I expect us to go to the final and, hopefully, win that. The guys are fairly keen now after the Commonwealth Games where we performed very well. This is just another step and if the buoyancy is still there and the confidence is still there, we should be looking to make it to the final."

Barbados have been set back by the absence of experienced fast bowling all-rounders Ottis Gibson and Vasbert Drakes, the pair opting to fulfil professional contracts in South Africa.

"They bowled very, very well in Kuala Lumpur. We will miss them, but there are replacements," Bourne said. "We'll do with what we have and I'm sure that our replacements will work very hard to make sure that they perform as best as they can."

Gibson and Drakes have been replaced by experienced swing bowler Hendy Broomes and burly fast bowler Patterson Thompson.

Broomes has been enjoying a fine Division 1 season for United Carlton, his 44 wickets making him the leading wicket-taker ahead of the eighth round of matches, while the much-criticised Thompson has been bowling with some fire recently.

Barbados, who lost two of their three preliminary matches last season, are in Zone 2 with hosts Jamaica, defending champs Leeward Islands and debutants United States.

Source :: The Barbados Nation (https://www.nationnews.com/)