Two young, gifted players – batter Demetrius Richards and left-arm spinner Camarie Boyce – have been lauded by veteran Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) coach Dexter Toppin for their outstanding performances so far in the Barbados Pride four-day practice match at Desmond Haynes Oval.
The praise came before lunch on the second day today. Later, a couple other players also made an impact with bat and ball.
Richards slammed a century, Boyce took five wickets, veteran all-rounder Kevin Stoute fell short of a ton by four runs and later Zachary McCaskie made 79, with left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop bagging a ‘five-for’.
Left-hander Richards, 20, hit a commanding 105 off 149 balls in 227 minutes with 14 fours, while the 36-year-old Stoute, who has played as many as 76 first-class matches since his debut 15 years ago (January 3, 2007 against Trinidad & Tobago at the well-appointed North Stars Cultural & Social Club ground, Crab Hill, St. Lucy), scored 96 off exactly 100 deliveries. He counted 13 fours and two sixes in his knock, which lasted just over two-and-a-half hours.
Richards and Stoute featured in a sixth wicket partnership of 189 of which Richards, who went to the crease at No. 5, contributed 76 and Stoute 93, to lift Jonathan Carter’s X1 from a worrying 109 for five in the 38th over to 369 all out off 86.3 overs from an overnight 343 for eight after winning the toss against Kraigg Brathwaite’s X1.
Boyce, a 22-year-old, who plays for Empire, took five for 74 off 15 overs.
Brathwaite’s X1 were bowled out for 204 in 71.4 overs with opener McCaskie’s knock including eight fours and one six off 169 balls in 230 minutes.
Bishop picked up five for 65 off 24.4 overs.
At the close of play, Carter’s X1 were 16 for one in their second innings.
Richards, who also keeps wicket, is a former student of Good Shepherd Primary and Ellerslie Secondary Schools. He represented Barbados Youth in the BCA Elite division three-day Championship for a couple seasons, and also turned out for Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme (BDFSP) in the 2020 BCA Twenty20 Cup. He then joined Maple last year, but there were no local red-ball Competitions for the last two seasons due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yet, the Arch Hall, St. Thomas resident has given the Barbados Pride selectors plenty to think about ahead of the planned Cricket West Indies (CWI) first-class season, which is scheduled to start February 2. He made an impressive first innings top-score of 54 as well for Sir Garfield Sobers X1 in a winning cause against Sir Wesley Hall X1, also at Desmond Haynes Oval, in the Legends Cup three-day Championship in late November before it was cancelled after the first round because of the pandemic.
Among Boyce’s scalps was veteran Carter, who was the first after scoring 53 off 104 balls in 133 minutes with five fours and two sixes before, in essaying a drive, was caught at backward point, to be fourth out with the score 99.
Boyce’s only first-class match so far brought him match figures of seven for 111 including five for 65 in the first innings for Barbados in a resounding win by an innings and 81 runs against Leeward Islands at Warner Park in St. Kitts in 2020 (February).
According to Toppin, who was the Barbados Pride head coach at the last CWI one-day Championship in Antigua last February, both Richards and Boyce are naturally, gifted cricketers.
“For a youngster who is at senior trials for the first time, Demetrius showed great maturity in compiling an excellent hundred. He played some fine shots all around the wicket. It was a very good innings,” Toppin told Barbados TODAY.
In relation to Boyce, Toppin remarked: “Camarie was very steady and crafty. He bowled a good line and length and showed excellent control from the northern end.”
Co-incidentally, the new Lead selector of the West Indies Senior Men’s team, The Most Honourable Desmond Haynes, made an appearance at the match yesterday and again today.
Summarised scores on the second day:
Jonathan Carter’s X1 369 all out (86.3 overs) (Demetrius Richards 105 – 149 balls, 227 minutes, 14 fours; Kevin Stoute 96 – 100 balls, 159 minutes, 13 fours, 2 sixes; Jonathan Carter 53 – 104 balls, 133 minutes, 5 fours, 2 sixes; Ashley Nurse 39, Joshua Bishop 18; Camarie Boyce 5-74, Jair McAllister 2-21, Chaim Holder 2-66) and 16-1 (4 overs).
Kraigg Brathwaite’s X1 204 all out (71.4 overs)
(Zachary McCaskie 79 – 169 balls, 230 minutes, 8 fours, 1 six; Jonathan Drakes 40 – 84 balls, 116 minutes, 5 fours, 1 six; Chaim Holder 14, Tevyn Walcott 11, Matthew Forde 11; Joshua Bishop 5-65, Ashley Nurse 2-19, Ramon Simmonds 2-40).
Toss: Carter’s X1.
Umpires: Tremaine Prescod, Shamar Boyce.
Scorer: Ashtyn Forde-Reifer.
(www.barbadoscricket.org)
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