Sweet revenge

KINGSTOWN - The score has been settled.

With due care and diligence, Barbados completed a comfortable victory over Windward Islands with a day to spare here yesterday to reverse last year's stunning defeat.

Set 148 to win after rounding off the Windwards' second innings in the first over after lunch, Barbados achieved a seven-wicket triumph in their opening Carib Beer Series contest without alarms, and with another 12 minutes still available on the penultimate day.

Wary of an Arnos Vale Playing Field pitch that has been slowish throughout the match, Barbados initially approached their task with caution and were lifted by Sherwin Campbell's fighting, unbeaten 66 that occupied the three-and-a-half hours Barbados needed to wipe off their modest target.

It was sweet revenge for Barbados after losing to the Windwards for the first time in 19 years last season.

"This was a very good performance. To win your first game of the season is always special, especially against a team that beat you last year," said Barbados coach Hendy Springer.

It was also a relief to start the tournament with maximum 12 points after the disappointment of last season when Barbados endured three successive defeats and finished fifth in the standings.

"We always wanted to start on a positive note," said captain Courtney Browne. "Over the last two years, the Windwards have been playing us well. That is something we had to look at. We needed a win to go forward.

"We've got India `A' coming up next weekend and it is very important to go to India `A' and Jamaica with a win behind your name."

Campbell overcame an uncertain start to play solidly at times, but he was never at his best. The type of determined qualities he displayed, however, often does a lot for teams when chasing what are seemingly straightforward targets.

Fellow opener Philo Wallace was also watchful, and his 32, along with Floyd Reifer's 26 and Dwayne Smith's 18 were equally important contributions.

After adding 58 with Campbell, Wallace gave a return catch to leg-spinner Rawl Lewis, and Kurt Wilkinson duplicated his dismissal six runs later before Reifer arrived to provide some impetus to the innings.

Reifer eventually skied a cross-batted shot to cover, but Campbell and Smith took Barbados home. There might have been some concern for the visitors in the middle of the morning session.

As lunch approached, they had claimed just one wicket and the Windwards were gradually building a lead, but Barbados quickly regained the initiative by collecting the last four for 16 runs in 20 minutes either side of lunch.

John Eugene resumed as the Windwards' main hope of setting Barbados a difficult total, but was undone by a delivery from Ian Bradshaw that found the edge as it moved away on pitching.

It was Barbados' sole success in the first hour and three-quarters in spite of good bowling from Bradshaw and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, who operated in tandem for most of the session.

Benn should have removed Orlanzo Jackson but Browne missed a stumping that did not prove too costly in the end.

It required a big risk from the Windwards to end a potentially worrying seventh-wicket stand between Jackson and Darren Sammy.

The pair were together for close on an hour when they attempted a non-existent single when the ball had only gone as far as backward short-leg.

It was quickly swooped on by Wilkinson at forward short-leg and once his return was relayed to keeper Browne, Jackson was found wanting by some distance.

By then, Tino Best was into the attack and got the ball to move around, but his direction centred too much on leg stump.

When he was presented with a left-hander, Deighton Butler, it suited him just fine and he induced him into snicking a catch to the keeper.

A typically enthusiastic Best fired in an unplayable yorker at Kenroy Peters with the last ball before lunch and after a short delay because of rain, Benn ended the Windwards' resistance in the first over after the break when Sammy's firm push was smartly caught by Wilkinson under the bat.

It was Benn's only wicket of the day but his fifth in the innings.

SCOREBOARD:

WINDWARDS 1st Innings 156

BARBADOS 1st Innings 232

WINDWARDS 2nd Innings

(overnight 150-5)

D. Smith lbw Benn 55

R. Currency b Benn 41

K. Sylvester c Reifer b Benn 19

+J. Murray lbw b Hurley 6

J. Eugene c wk Browne b Bradshaw 20

*R. Lewis lbw b Benn 0

O. Jackson run out 30

D. Sammy c Wilkinson b Benn 23

D. Butler c wk Browne b Best 3

K. Peters lbw b Best 0

S. Shillingford not out 0

Extras (b1, lb6, w1, nb11) 19

Penalty runs 5

TOTAL (all out - 74.4 overs) 223

Fall of wickets: 1-91 (Smith), 2-109 (Currency), 3-116 (Murray), 4-143 (Sylvester), 5-144 (Lewis), 6-173 (Eugene), 7-207 (Jackson), 8-210 (Butler), 9-223 (Peters), 10-223 (Peters).

Bowling: Bradshaw 15-3-46-1 (w1, nb3), Best 7-1-17-2 (nb1), Hurley 21-2-57-1 (nb5), Thomas 2-0-23-0 (nb2), Benn 29.4-7-68-5.

BARBADOS 2nd Innings

P. Wallace c and b Lewis 32

S. Campbell not out 66

K. Wilkinson c and b Lewis 2

F. Reifer c Sammy b Butler 26

D. Smith not out 18

Extras (b2, nb4) 6

TOTAL (3 wkts - 59.2 overs) 150

Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Wallace), 2-64 (Wilkinson), 3-115 (Reifer)

Bowling: Butler 10-1-40-1 (nb1), Peters 7-5-4-0, Jackson 13-2-27-0, Sammy 4-1-17-0, Lewis 13-4-29-2 (nb1), Shillingford 12.2-4-31-0.

Result: Barbados won by seven wickets with a day to spare.

Points: Barbados 12, Windwards 0.

Umpires: Goaland Greaves, Harry Rajkumar