He was a familiar face at Black Rock for years, representing Carlton in the then Division 1 competition, now the Elite Division.
This month, Dale Richards, the former Barbados and West Indies opening batsman, came back to his old stomping ground with a different team and in a different competition.
The 36-year-old Richards was turning out for his home-based Rocklyn Hardware Isolation Cavaliers against LIME in the final of the BCA’s Intermediate championship.
It was the first time Isolation Cavaliers, hailing from St Andrew, had reached the semi-final and final after eight years in the Intermediate Division.
“It was very good for the club because the guys had wanted this for a long time,” Richards said.
The free-scoring right-hander, who played three Tests and eight One-Day Internationals for the West Indies, was one of the chief architects in Isolation Cavaliers reaching the championship match. Prior to the final, he had amassed a whopping 1 008 runs.
In the final, which they lost by nine wickets after a last day capitulation, Richards had knocks of 69 and 15.
Asked what would have prompted the move back to the relative obscurity of Intermediate cricket, he replied: “In the last tournament where I represented Barbados in the Caribbean Twenty20, there were six games and I did not get a chance to showcase my skills.
“I decided then instead of coming back to Carlton and stopping a youngster from playing I would go back home and help out the youngsters in my community.”
Speaking about the quality of cricket at the Intermediate level compared to the Elite Division, he said: “Intermediate is also pretty tough, because you have to play on uncovered pitches which could be difficult.
“The first game I played in my scores were two and eight.
“I had to quickly adjust after playing on covered pitches for a while. Usually I am a free-scoring guy but I had to learn to wait on the ball and be a lot more patient.”
With Isolation Cavaliers set to move up next year to Division One, formerly the Upper Intermediate, and one step away from the top flight Elite, Richards said this would provide a good opportunity for the players of the rural club.
“It’s for the youngsters in the country, because I had to come to Black Rock for 11 years. Now, it’s an opportunity for the selectors to come to the country and see some young guys.”
