West Indies: Youth parade today

Out-Of-Favour West Indies opener Philo Wallace leads a group of fledgling Barbadian cricketers in a historic four-day first-class match against a talented South African'A' team starting at the Windward Cricket Club at 10 a.m. today.

The match, the first of its kind to be played at a venue other than Kensington Oval, the island?s lone Test ground in the last century, will see as many as seven Barbadians making their first-class debut.

With the national selectors opting to expose several emerging players, Wallace, the solitary player with Test experience, will shoulder the brunt of the batting responsibility, along with promising left-hander Ryan Hinds.

South Africa'A' is being led by Dale Benkenstein, who has represented his country in One-Day Internationals and who played for Wanderers in the BCA Division 1 competition in the mid-1990s.

The squad also includes several inexperienced players. However, a few of them came up against the Brian Lara-led West Indies side on the disastrous 1997-1998 tour, either for their states or in the'A' team game at the Pietermaritzburg Oval.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Nick Pothas, allrounder Justin Kemp, batsmen Ashwell Prince and James Bryant and fast bowlers Charl Willoughby and Victor Mpitsang are the best known of the visitors.

A lot is also expected from the pacy 21-year-old Eastern Province fast bowler Mfuneko Ngam, batsmen Doug Watson, Marc Bruyns and Gerald Dros and allrounder Justin Ontong.

Barbados coach William Bourne said the match would provide an avenue for the young players to showcase their talent.

'We are going to go out there to put a great effort in. The guys must see this as an opportunity for them to do well and get the selectors? nod.

'The better our players can do, (the better) it will augur for West Indies? cricket,' he said.

Heading the list of debutants is the former Barbados and West Indies Youth captain Shirley Clarke.

He finally gets a chance to show whether he can lift his early recordbreaking batting to a higher level.

Apart from Hinds, the middle order will consist of rookies Dale Richards, an exciting right-handed stroke-maker, inform St. Catherine batsman Dale Mason, stylish Carlton recruit Kurt Wilkinson and Pickwick wicket-keeper Rondell Yearwood.

The Barbados? attack looks rather thin with just three front-line bowlers: fast-bowling all-rounders Ian Bradshaw, Callitos Lopez and Hattian Graham.

Part-timers Hinds (left-arm spin), Clarke (off-breaks) and possibly Mason (leg-breaks) will provide the slow stuff on a pitch which Charlie Thornton, chairman of Windward grounds? committee, believes will favour the batsmen.

'The pitch, I think would tend towards batsmen. It?s a good pitch. Certainly, it would last the four days but I think it is full of runs,' he said.

'We are proud of our pitches here at Windward. We generally have a good standard.'

Thornton added, however, that lack of rain in the southeast of the island has left the outfield dry with a very brown look despite it being flooded by the use of water pumps three or four times.

'We got assistance from the Fire Service. They have been here a few times and they have pumped water onthe ground and we?ve had considerable assistance from plantations in the St. Philip area,' he said.

'The outfield won?t be Kensington Oval but it is smooth. It certainly will be very quick. We expect a lot of boundaries.'

Barbados - Philo Wallace (captain), Shirley Clarke, Dale Richards, Ryan Hinds, Kurt Wilkinson, Dale Mason, Rondell Yearwood, Ian Bradshaw, Carl Glasgow, Callitos Lopez, Hattian Graham.

South Africa ?A? (from) - Dale Benkenstein (captain), Nick Pothas, Marc Bruyns, Ashwell Prince, Juston Ontong, James Bryant, Gerald Dros, Garnett Kruger, Justin Kemp, Robin Peterson, Charl Langeveldt, Doug Watson, Graham Smith, Victor Mpitsang, Mfuneko Ngam, Charl Willoughby.