Cake-walk

ONE, TWO, three . . . 18. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Unstoppable Barbados, the most decorated team in the history of regional first-class cricket, added yet another title to their vast collection yesterday by establishing a record of sorts on the way to winning the 2003 Carib Beer Cup.

In moving to an unassailable 60 points with a match still remaining, Courtney Browne's red-hot men competed a fourth victory in six matches with a day to spare by demolishing the Leeward Islands by seven wickets, 22 minutes before lunch at Kensington Oval.

It was their 18th regional first-class championship since 1966, their fifth in the last nine seasons, and continued a trend of winning the title in every other season since 1995.

Champion Barbados teams under Sir Garfield Sobers, David Holford, Vanburn Holder, Albert Padmore, Carlisle Best, Joel Garner and Desmond Haynes in the '60s, '70s, '80s and early '90s would have created records of their own, but none would have won as many as four matches well inside the distance.

So many wins with loads of time in reserve emphasised that this Barbados team, with a core of experienced players and a promising bunch of young talent, was clearly in a class of its own, especially with the absence of the region's leading players on West Indies duties at the World Cup.

"Barbados is a superior team when the other players are away playing for West Indies," said skipper Browne.

"Our experience over the other teams was great. Our commitment was something that we tried to drill in the guys every day. In the end, that pulled us through."

Barbados opened the season by defeating the Windward Islands in three days and followed up with just as convincing wins against India "A" and Trinidad ad Tobago before taking care of the Leewards yesterday.

Had rain not affected matches against Jamaica and Guyana, it might have very well been a 100 per cent winning record.

"Team work did it for us. We were well prepared. We played very well this year," Browne said.

"You have the likes of Philo [Wallace], Sherwin [Campbell], Floyd [Reifer], [Ian] Bradshaw and myself - we were around for a while. The fact that we have been playing long - we would always perform at this level because we know how and what to do."

Barbados, the reigning Red Stripe Bowl regional champions, can still look forward to more.

After next weekend's final Cup match against West Indies "B" at Kensington, they have the chance to complete a unique double by adding the International Challenge to the Cup.

The semifinalists of the International Challenge are determined by the top four places in the Cup, and Barbados are guaranteed of hosting one semifinal and also the final if they advance.

"The season is not over. We have another three games left - West Indies `B', semifinals and final. That is our goal. That is what we are focusing on," Browne said.