Mayers still interested in playing for Barbados

Conflicting reports have surfaced over Antonio Mayers' availability to represent the Barbados cricket team.

A few days after returning from a professional contract in England, the 21-year-old all-rounder slammed a century for Cable & Wireless BET in the Courts/Suzuki Division 1 championship, which he said was to show the national selectors that he meant business.

It was a comment made against the background of successive selection panels not picking him among 44 players involved in a national yearround programme being used to prepare the Barbados team for regional competitions.

As far as we had understood, he (Mayers) had told the previous selection committee that he was not interested in playing for Barbados any longer, new chairman of selectors Richard Edwards said.

This is what we understand. We don't know this for a fact.

Mayers, however, said there was no truth to such a statement: I did not say that. I am more than surprised to hear those comments. I still have an interest in playing for Barbados, he said.

After scoring 115 for Cable & Wireless BET against United Carlton last Sunday, Mayers said he would have appreciated it if the selectors had given him a look-in for either of the three Red Stripe Bowl trials, the last of which was played yesterday.

Edwards, however, added that the selection panel was also unaware that Mayers was in the island.

We didn't even know that he had come back. The first time we knew that he was in the island is when we saw that he came and made a hundred and apparently it was a good hundred at that, Edwards said.

At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the player when he comes into the country, if he's not fit or whatever, that he must let the selectors know what is happening.

Edwards said yesterday evening Mayers had since contacted him to inform him of his availability.

Mayers, who represented Barbados in the Red Stripe Bowl from 1998 to 2000, enjoyed a successful season for Hartherly in the West of England Leagues where he made 648 (ave. 55) including three centuries and took 35 wickets with his medium-pace.