AN?experienced and confident Barbados darts team will be leaving for Belize today with high hopes of taking top placings in the 19th Caribbean Cup and the jointly staged 6th America Cup which run from Saturday to July 29.
Barbados last attended those competitions in Trinidad and Tobago in 2008 when they placed fifth in the Caribbean Cup while bowing out in the America Cup in the quarter-finals.
With a squad being led by Donnie Inniss and boasting the likes of the evergreen Gregory Catlyn, Dale Glasgow and Anthony Forde, manager Shawn Burke expressed confidence in the team’s chances.
“This team has been training extremely hard, with the females like Cheryl Walrond, Thelma Alleyne, Kisanka Watts and Elouise Martin being just as competitive and at times even more aggressive than the men in lifting their game,” said Burke.
Coach Andre Payne was similarly impressed with the work ethic of the players which he hoped would result in improved performances.
“Even those players who did not make the final 12 have continued to turn up here at the National Stadium’s lounge for every practice which has helped tremendously in keeping our team sharp and on target for success in Belize,” Payne said.
Barbados will compete against Jamaica, The Bahamas, Trinidad and hosts Belize, while Canada and the United States will join the fray in the America Cup.
The Barbadians have received assistance from Digicel to make the trip and tournaments in Belize, for which the group expressed gratitude since a lack of funds had denied Barbados making the 2010 edition in the Bahamas.
SQUAD: Donnie Inniss (captain), Gregory Catlyn, Patrick Scott, Dale Glasgow, Anthony Forde, Roger Edwards, Winston Cadogan, Clyde Murrell, Thelma Alleyne, Kisanka Watts, Cheryl Walrond and Elouise Martin. Officials: Andre Payne (coach/assistant manager), Shawn Burke (manager). (KB)