West Indies: Showdown at the Oval (31 July 1999)

31 July 1999

West Indies: Showdown at the Oval

Philip Spooner

No two things are attracting more attention in Barbados than cricket and calypso.

As the island is presently caught up in Crop-Over fever, today's Nortel Networks West Indies Under-19 three-day cricket final can easily claim part of the festival.

After all, the venue is Kensington Oval - the headquarters - just a stone's throw from the Spring Garden Highway, the melting pot of the season. The two teams contesting the game - hosts Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago - have been involved in cricket and calypso battles over the years and this adds some spice to the "callaloo v cou cou" contest.

The game will be played today, tomorrow and Tuesday, with a break on Monday so the players can enjoy Kadooment.

The game is a repeat of the Busta Cup final played earlier this year between the same teams at the same venue, ironically around the same time Trinidad were celebrating their Carnival season. On that occasion Barbados won handsomely using pace to do the trick.

For Trinidad, a victory would end an 11-year drought. Not since Brian Lara's side won in Jamaica in 1987, has Trinidad been able to dominate at youth level. Barbados, too, have a date with destiny, having not been champs since 1991 under the leadership of Floyd Reifer.

Coach of the Barbados team, Richard Starker, yesterday drew the battle lines saying that the toughness showed by his players in the semifinal against Jamaica on Thursday suggested they have the making of champions.

"I am not really worried," Straker said from the team's Christ Church hotel, yesterday. "I am confident they can do well against anybody.

"It's confidence, but we are not being complacent. The boys have been tough at most critical times and that has brought us through."

In the semis, Barbados escaped with a slender first-innings lead of two in the first innings, but played like "big men" to secure a 20-run victory and a place in the final.

Barbados, though, must be careful how they go into the final. The Trinidadians are excellent players of spin, as they showed against Guyana's five-pronged spin attack, so the Bajans may have to look at making use of their pace bowlers.

Trinidad have no worries with their batting, which features ten left-handers in the 14-man squad.

Requiring a tournament-high 309 against Guyana on a placid Queen's Park pitch, the top-order dominated Guyana's attack with the most entertaining batting of the competition.

"We plan to have a good game," said coach Tony Gray. "We know Barbados will provide tough opposition. The teams have had good confrontations in the past and we expect this one to be highly competitive."

Reminded that Barbados won the senior regional title this year, Gray said: "We plan to reverse that. We are peaking at the right time."

He said his players had showed great temperament and maturity but so too had Barbados, who had displayed great fighting spirit.

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