Article by David Harris

Trinibago Knight Riders defeated Barbados Royals in a keenly contested match when the Barbados leg continued at Kensington Oval on Friday night. 

Chasing a target of 157 runs for victory, the Knight Riders scored 159 for eight wickets in 19.5 overs; they needed 11 runs off the final over and seemed to be heading to defeat when Akeal Hosein was dismissed off the third ball with six runs required for victory, but Jason Holder bowled a waist high no ball and Terrance Hinds smacked the free hit over long off for a massive six

The Knight Riders were in trouble at 11 runs for two wickets after off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana took the wickets of openers Sunil Narine and Jason Roy. 

 Nicholas Pooran blasted 35 off 23 balls to give the Trinidad and Tobago franchise the advantage before he was out to a spectacular double from Rovman Powell and Holder.

The left-handed batsman miscued a ball from left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj that was heading over long-off for six, but Powell caught the ball and flicked it to Holder to complete one of T20 cricket’s finest tag team relay catches. 

  Shaqkere Parris made 35 from 40 balls and shared a vital fourth-wicket partnership of 44 with Keacy Carty who contributed a brisk 32 off 21 balls, at that stage the Knight Riders appeared to be well on track needing 51 runs for victory off 36 balls.

The reintroduction of Theekshana in the 15 th over lured Parris into a false shot triggering a collapse from the Knight Riders. It set up a grandstand finish until Hinds’ late heroics stunned the local fans. Theekshana picked up three wickets for 26 runs, medium pacer Obed McCoy took two for 30.

Earlier, the Royals scored 156 for seven, after the Knight Riders won the toss and opted to field Powell made 59, and Quinton de Kock got 39. Left-arm spinner Waqar Salamkeil captured three wickets for 13 runs, and Narine grabbled two for 16.

Captain of the Barbados Royals Rovman Powell is upbeat ahead of his team encounter with Antigua & Barbuda Falcons in the first match in the Barbados’ leg Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which bowls off tonight at 7 pm at Kensington Oval. 

The Royals are second position after winning their first two matches in the tournament; they were triumphant against the Falcons by nine wickets in their opening match against the Falcons at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, and narrowly defeated St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by two wickets at Warner Park in St Kitts. 

Despite the Royals overwhelming victory against the Falcons, in their first encounter, Powell says that his team will not be complacent in tonight’s match. 

“The mood in the camp is very good, we have started with two wins on the road, it is now an opportunity for us in our home games to get a few more wins, but we will not be complacent”, Powell told journalists at Kensington Oval on Tuesday evening. 

Powell, who is also the captain of the West Indies T20 team stressed the importance of home matches for the Royals. 

” All of the home games are important and when you go on your own ground, you must dominate. It’s always good when you win at home because that sets the tone for the competition. It’s a short competition and we started well, therefore; it will be good to have a few wins at home”, he explained.    

According to Powell, the team is at full strength and the pitch at the Oval is in top condition and will not be affected by the rain which fell earlier in the week. 

“It is in one of the better conditions that I have seen in Barbados, we had a training camp here before the start of the CPL and the practice wickets were good, and the guys told me that the wickets in the middle were good. So hopefully we will have a good wicket on Wednesday night”, Powell said. 

The captain said that the Barbadian public had supported the Royals well in the last two years and the matches at Kensington Oval against the Falcons, the Patriots, Trinibago Knight Riders, and the defending champions the Guyana Amazons Warriors give them another opportunity to come out and support the Barbados based franchise. 

 “We are going to do our utmost best to entertain our fans in the matches at the Oval”. Powell said.  

Barbados’ shooting teams won two of the four team events and several individual gold medals at the Barbados Rifle Association Regional Shooting Standoff, held over the weekend.

This year’s International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Level 3 competition ran from August 30 to September 1, marking the 10th anniversary of the Smoking Barrel series. It was held at the Barbados Rifle Association range, Paragon, Christ Church.

Regional Director, IPSC Barbados and Chief Range Officer, Dr. Kevin Grant said: “The 10th anniversary of the Smoking Barrel competition is a significant milestone for us. Our journey began in 2010, and over the years, we’ve seen the sport grow in Barbados and across the region.

“Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, we were determined to bring this event back in 2024, and the overwhelming support we’ve received from participants around the world has made it all worthwhile.”

The event featured 15 challenging stages and attracted top shooters from across the globe, including participants from Jamaica, Colombia, the UK, the United States, Trinidad, Guyana, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Suriname. Barbados was represented by a strong contingent of skilled competitors, who showcased their talents on home soil.

“Barbados has a proud tradition in shooting sports, and our team is fully committed to upholding our nation’s reputation. While some of our counterparts from other regions have had more opportunities to practise, we remain confident in our abilities … in the various divisions, both individually and as a team,” the Chief Range Officer noted, as he spoke with the Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS).

Dr. Grant also called for greater support from the Government and corporate sector, emphasising the potential of shooting sports as a form of sports tourism. He said: “Shooting is an Olympic discipline, and it’s time we invested in promoting Barbados as a prime destination for international shooting competitions by investing financially and marketing our brand effectively. We can elevate the sport and create opportunities for Barbadian athletes to compete on the Olympic stage.”

Barbados took first place in the Standard Division Teams Challenge. The members included Gerald Gill, Richard Durant, Dexter Williams and Ryan Hunte. Second place went to St. Lucia.

In the Production Optics Division Teams Challenge, Barbados came second. The team included Cliff Roett, Ryan Best and Nicholas Branker. Jamaica was the winning team.

In the Production Division Teams Challenge, first place went to Barbados. The team comprised Adrian Marshall, Dennis Bellamy, Gregory Wood and Kevin Sealy.  Jamaica came second. 

The Open Division Teams champions were the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, followed by Barbados, while third place went to Jamaica. (PR/GIS)

Caption: First place winning team for Barbados, Production Division, Kevin Sealy; Adrian Marshall; Dennis Bellamy and Gregory Wood.