White Hill Field (Barbados won toss): Barbados beat Bermuda by 40 runs

Kamau Leverock’s impressive all-round display was in vain as the national team suffered defeat against an experimental Barbados side in their Bermuda Premier League opener.

The experienced all-rounder claimed three wickets and stroked a brisk 34 runs but it was not enough as the visiting side came away with a comfortable victory.

Bermuda coach Niraj Odedra admitted his team was outclassed by a Barbados side featuring only two first-team regulars.

“When you are spending so much to come to overseas territories you always come with a good side,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“When you’re playing a good team you always want to do well and win, so full credit to Barbados.

“I think their spinners bowled better than our spinners did. Our spinners could have bowled better and that was the difference in those middle overs where their spinners really bowled well and our spinners went for runs. That I think was the major turning point.

“Other than that, batting-wise if you look at it, because we were chasing 160, we played with aggression, but my full credit goes to Barbados and the way they outclassed us in both the bowling and batting.”

Barbados posted 162 for eight after electing to take first strike with Yvan Grant (53) and Jonathan Drakes (47) providing the bulk of the runs.

The top-order pair added 78 for the third wicket in a whirlwind partnership.

Grant, whose innings included six fours and two sixes, reached the only fifty of the match off 40 balls, while Demetrius Richards (19) and Amari Goodridge (14) also made useful contributions for Barbados lower down the order.

Seamer Leverock was the pick of the Bermuda bowling with three for 27 while fellow all-rounder Malachi Jones took two for 38.

With an asking rate of 8.1, Bermuda blasted 11 runs off the first over to get the chase off to a promising start

However, a disciplined Barbados attack kept their line and length and reaped the reward after continuing to build pressure.

Bermuda were up against it at 65 for four midway through their innings with Leverock and captain Delray Rawlins (7) among the dismissals.

Jones (10), Charles Trott (11) and Zeko Burgess (26) offered some resistance down the order but the damage had already been done, with seamer Shaquille Cumberbatch leading the Barbados attack with three for 25.

After all was said and done in the middle, Barbados coach Henderson Springer hailed his team’s impressive display.

“I was very, very pleased,” he said. “I thought they were good because these are foreign facilities so the only thing that we could have brought is a good attitude towards the job we had to do.

“We had to adapt to a lot slower [conditions] than what we are accustomed to but you can’t throw your hands in the air and give up. Slow it down and execute the opportunity to adapt, and we did that.

“Some of the guys really did well and they played their roles within the team.

“I thought Bermuda started really well in the bowling but after a certain time they started to fade away once the partnerships started.”

Drakes and Rashawn Worrell were the only first-team players in a Barbados team boasting an average age in the mid-tenties.

“We have some young guys here who are trying to aspire to something,” Springer added.

“We have only one person here who is centrally contracted by the Barbados Pride franchise, our first-class team.

“Drakes is a first-class player and you also have Worrell, but he played just one game last season.

“All of the other guys are fringe players. Some are very, very good club cricketers and we’re looking to give them the opportunity to see what they’re made of.”

Having lost their tournament opener, Odedra knows his team cannot afford any further slips if they are to be crowned the inaugural winners.

“We have one match against the Bermuda Select XI and Antigua [Grassroots Cricket Academy] and we have to win both of them,” he said.

“Keep in mind the run-rate, as that might also come into play.”

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