ESA FIELD PICKWICK
Position last year: Fifth
Home ground: Foursquare Oval
Captain: To be appointed – likely Rondell Yearwood
Coach: Corey Yearwood
In: Craig St Hill (Barbados Youth). He will be unavailable for the first part of the season because of an attachment in England.
Out: None
Unavailable: Shai Hope (likely to join the Sagicor High Performance Centre after the first match).
OVERVIEW: Pickwick performed beyond expectations with a weakened team last season to finish fifth.
With the return of club cricket’s most prolific batsman of the previous three seasons, Kyle Hope after graduating from the Sagicor High Performance Centre (HPC) and a comeback by fast bowler Zaheer Motara, it should not be a surprise if they move further up the table.
While Kyle Hope is back, his younger brother Shai, who recently made his first class debut, is expected to be among the new batch of HPC students and newcomer Craig St Hill, who averaged 66 with the bat in five matches for Barbados Youth last year, will miss most of the season because of an attachment in England.
Pickwick should, however, still be competitive under the leadership of Rondell Yearwood, who is likely to be appointed captain for the 12th successive season when the club holds its annual general meeting today.
If Barbados and West Indies fast bowler Tino Best is available for most of the season, his presence should also make a difference.
Last season, a few youngsters made an impression for Pickwick, notably batsman Jamal Phillips and left-arm spinner Kemar Stanford. The club will be hoping that others will also make a mark this year.
EXPECTATIONS: Rondell Yearwood (likely captain): “We finished in the top half last year with a weakened team. It was a big effort. Everybody chipped in. We want to go even higher this season.
“If we did reasonably well with that team last year, with Kyle back, we want to break into the top three. Our team this year is a lot stronger.
PREDICTION: Mid-table. Pickwick have shown admirable fighting qualities over the past three seasons when some observers felt they would have been demoted.
