ROYALS MEET AMAZON WARRIORS TONIGHT

by David Harris

Barbados Royals are hoping to win their first match in the 2025 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament when they play against Guyana Amazon Warriors at Kensington Oval tonight. 

The Royals sits at the bottom of the table having lost thrice and had a washout in the four matches they played overseas; but captain Rovman Powell and head coach Trevor Penny are expecting the team’s fortunes to change in their five home matches at the Oval.  

“I think it is a case of us not playing good cricket in those three games, there were sections of them where we were on top, but we did not play good enough cricket for long periods”, Powell told journalists during a press conference at the Barbados Hilton on Tuesday.  

The captain urged Barbadians to “come and support the local based franchise: “I think people on the like winners; and when you don’t win, it becomes a big problem, whether it be Barbados, Jamaica or Trinidad, whatever franchise you play for. What I can say is that we played some good cricket in Barbados in the past few seasons-all we are asking is for the public, the people of Barbados –to come out and support us. CPL is a big venture for every Caribbean Island, and now is the time for Bajans to come out and support their local team”. 

Penny said sharper fielding and cohesion are the two factors that can turn the tide for the Royals. 

“When you get a group for the first time and suddenly you are together- there are going to be little mistakes here and there. We have got a such good team, some serious players with the ball and bat. Our fielding started poorly at the beginning, and that lost us a few games. But we have worked hard on that. In the last game in Trinidad with the wet ball; I thought we really fielded well, so things are coming together”, the coach said.