CARLTON
Position last year: Sixth
Home ground: Desmond Haynes Oval
Captain: Alex Bridgeman will lead in the team in the three-day competition and Kirk Gibson is captain for the 50-over and Twenty20 tournaments.
Coach: Shirley Clarke
Manager: Wayne Springer
In: Shayne Moseley (Barbados Youth), Rashid Trotman (Barbados Youth)
Out: Marlon Welcome-Goodman (BDFSP), Larando Best (Barbados Fire Service)
Uncertain: Martin Nurse, Kofi Hurdle
OVERVIEW: It appears that 2013 will be a transitional period for Carlton.
They have a new captain, two players have left the club and there is uncertainty surrounding the availability of two key batsmen – a quartet of players who joined Carlton for the first time last season.
The youthful Marlon Welcome-Goodman is now a recruit in Barbados Defence Sports Programme (BDFSP), while pacer Larando Best, who came over from BDFSP last year, has joined the Barbados Fire Service.
Additionally, former Barbados batsman, big-hitting Martin Nurse is believed to be overseas playing cricket, while Kofi Hurdle’s availability is in doubt.
The good news is new blood in the form of Shayne Moseley, a former Barbados Youth batsman who scored a hundred at the highest level of local cricket in 2011, and the return of former Barbados and West Indies batsman Desmond Haynes as technical director.
Alex Bridgeman, a consistent off-spinner over the past few years, takes over from one-term captain Adrian Caddle, while the seasoned Kirk Gibson leads the team in the shorter formats.
In 2011, Carlton narrowly avoided demotion on the final day of the season but finished mid-table last year even without the prolific Dale Richards, who moved over to Intermediate team Isolation Cavaliers.
It’s tough to anticipate how they will fare this time around but it could be a season of challenges.
EXPECTATIONS:
Shirley Clarke (coach): “We want to finish near the top of the table. We are doing some rebuilding but we want to be competitive and see if we can end in the top half – if not win.
“If Martin Nurse doesn’t play, Shayne Moseley is an adequate replacement. He is a promising a young batsman.”
PREDICTION: Bottom three. This could be a difficult season for Carlton.
