Skipper had hope in last pair

The enthralling closing stages of the regional Under-19 three-day final were enough to send anyone over the edge, but Barbados captain Kenroy Williams was always confident his team would pull through.

"It was very tense, but I never gave up," Williams said after Barbados' heart-stopping one-wicket final victory over Trinidad and Tobago at Sabina Park on Monday.

"I know the heart of my players. I know Ryan Wiggins is a very good batsman and last man Ruel can also bat a bit. I never said die."

When Brathwaite joined Wiggins, Barbados still needed another 16 runs to win, but both batsmen kept their heads on and victory was achieved with 4.4 overs remaining.

It capped off an outstanding tournament for the Bajans, who won four of their five matches and captured first innings honours in a drawn semifinal against the Windward Islands.

"Our allround ability and our team-spirit and togetherness did it for us. Everything we do, we do together. It is a whole team effort," Williams said. "Most of the guys had a good tournament. Everybody chipped in."

Along the way, there were centuries from Williams, Wiggins and Kirk Edwards, three successive second-innings half-centuries from Martin Nurse, and useful all-round contributions from Kirk Gibson.

Diminutive off-spinner Jason Smith led the bowling with 25 wickets, while fast bowlers Corey Edwards and Ruel Brathwaite also made impact at some stages.

"When we asked anybody to put in an effort, they did without even looking away," Williams said. "Anytime I asked anybody to do anything, he gave of his best."

It was Williams' first experience as captain at a major level and he came through despite the challenges. "It was hard, but we had a very good team. We had a couple experienced players and that also helped me a lot."