BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC)

Barbados head coach Hendy Springer has complimented his players’ professionalism following their capture of the WICB Regional 4Day League.

The Bajans were crowned regional first-class champions for the 22nd time on Monday ending the tournament with 82 points ahead of second-placed Trinidad & Tobago on 80 points.
They have achieved the “double” having won the NAGICO Super50 tournament which was played in Trinidad & Tobago in February.
“It is indicative of the effort that the players have put in over a period of time and it is good that we have won and brought some glory to Barbados cricket again,” said Springer.
“Barbados has a rich cricket history and it is important that these young men continue to respect that legacy and that history and strive to perform and do well for their country”.
Under the captaincy of Kraigg Brathwaite, the champions played six matches and had wins against T&T, Guyana, Jamaica and Leeward Islands.
They drew against the Combined Campuses & Colleges and lost to Windward Islands.
“This result – winning the 4Day tournament to add to the one-day title – is just the beginning of things we want to achieve as we go along,” Springer pointed out.
“Earlier in the year, we set out a plan and we worked hard to reach those points we set. It was a total team effort … we had some guys who stood out and we will use this as motivation as we push on to the business end of the season.”
Springer said the high point of the season was their victory over Trinidad & Tobago at Kensington Oval.
“Trinidad are always worthy opponents,” he said.
“We had to beat them and get full points and we went out and achieved that.”
Barbados will now face Jamaica at Kensington Oval in the semi-finals of the Final Four; while Trinidad and Tobago clash with Windward Islands at Queen’s Park Oval in the other semi-final.
The winners of this phase will take home the Headley/Weekes Trophy named in honour of West Indies batting legends George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes.
“The focus is to look to win the game,” said Springer.
“But we are looking at the process … paying attention to details. We will treat them with respect but we will look to play some ‘strong’ cricket”.