Heartbreak at Chedwin Park - Pride assistant coach Hinds reflects on thrilling opener

ST CATHERINE, Jamaica:

The Barbados Pride walked away from their opening West Indies Championship clash against the Jamaica Scorpions with a seven-wicket defeat at Chedwin Park, but assistant coach Ryan Hinds was in no mood to dwell on the loss alone. Instead, he chose to celebrate a rare spectacle of first-class cricket.

In a match that ebbed and flowed over four days, the Scorpions chased down their target of 324 with poise on the final day, but not before both sides had traded heavy blows. Two innings exceeding 300 runs. Three centurions. And a glimpse of a bright future for West Indies cricket.

"I want to commend both teams for putting up a really good fight," Hinds said after the match. "Two innings, teams scoring in excess of 300 runs. How often would you see that in a first-class game? A very long time. And we must admit we saw some brilliant hundreds as well."

EMPHATIC STYLE

The Pride's disappointment was palpable, but so was their admiration for individual brilliance, particularly that of young Barbados batter Kevin Wickham. The aspiring cricketer announced himself in emphatic style, scoring two centuries in the same match.

"Kevin Wickham scored two centuries. He seemed to love this ground," Hinds noted. "It was here he scored his first first-class century for Barbados against the CCC, and then he came here again and performed exceedingly well."

Wickham's twin tons were complemented by commanding knocks from two West Indies players - Kirk McKenzie and John Campbell. For Hinds, that was the silver lining the entire region should embrace.

"That's what you want to see in West Indies cricket. You want to see players coming from the higher level to come down and perform," he said. "Yes, we are disappointed, but at the end of the day, it's all about West Indies cricket. That's the most important thing."

SLENDER LEAD

The Pride had taken a slender first-innings lead of just six runs, but the Scorpions, led by a composed and chanceless chase, made light work of the target.

When asked if Barbados could have done anything differently with the ball, Hinds was candid.

"We tried to be proactive," he admitted. "But the way you look at the way the guys started, 200-plus without loss. Chanceless as well. They did not give us any opportunity, a sniff, and they paced the innings really well.

"We tried different angles, different scenarios, different bowling combinations. It just didn't work."

The teams will turn their attention to game two of the series starting on Sunday at Sabina Park.

- CMC