The Barbados cricketers will begin preparation for this year’s Cricket West Indies Regional Under-17 Tournament with the first two-day trial match today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. at Brereton Club, Wayne Daniel Pavilion, St Philip.
Graydon Sealy’s wicketkeeper/ batsman Gadson Bowens and Queen’s College’s off-spinning all-rounder Xaundre Baptiste will captain the teams.
Princess Margaret’s left-arm pacer Jakeem Pollard and Christ Church Foundation’s swing bowler Reynaldo Bourne have been named in Bowen’s team, along with exciting Queen’s College seamer Raedon Bellamy and Alexandra fast bowler Mikhail Grant-Bennett.
Pollard opened the bowling for champions Gladiola in the Barbados Cricket Association’s (BCA) T20 Cup final for Elite and Division One teams against Wildey at the KMV Oval in Lakes, St Andrew, while Bourne was the leading wicket-taker in the BCA T20 Shield, helping his school to reach the final.
Baptiste’s team will include Barbados Under-15 wicketkeeper/ batsman Seth Smith, who led Queen’s College to a historic maiden triumph in the BCA’s T20 Plate Competition.
Also in that side are two successful Barbados Under-15 captains in Raphael Lovell and Damarko Wiggins, who are both left-handed batsmen, and all-rounder Kevion Newton, captain of Foundation, the losing finalists in the BCA’s T20 Shield, won by Malvern at Friendship.
A second two-day trial will be played on June 24 and 25 at the Police Sports Complex, Weymouth, followed by a 50over one-day match on June 27 at Friendship, Hothersal Turning.
Squads: Gadson Bowens (captain), Raedon Bellamy, Reynaldo Bourne, David Callender, Taj Clarke, Akobi Crichlow-Byer, Vickram Dhanraj, Kemar Dixon, Jordan Graham, Mikhail Grant-Bennett, Raashan Hackett, Jahidi Hinds, Jakeem Pollard, Javed Worrell. Xaundre Baptiste (captain), Zachary Carter, Rachad Gill, R’Jai Gittens, Khomari Griffith, Cody Holder, Raphael Lovell, Kevion Newton, Justin Parris, Rajeev Parsooram, Joshua Payne, Damani Roach, Seth Smith, Damarko Wiggins. (EZS)
