LOOKING GOOD: Jonathan Carter playing through the off-side during his 56 for Barbados against Combined Campuses and Colleges. (Picture by Charles Pitt-Grant.)

by HAYDN GILL

BARBADOS completed a comfortable victory by 28 runs over the Combined Campuses and Colleges at Kensington Oval yesterday that would have served as useful preparations for the forthcoming KFC Cup.

But, you shouldn't read too much into it against the background that the opponents were without key batsmen Floyd Reifer and Romel Currency and a few important bowlers who were rested.

If anything, they should have been concerned that they couldn't roll over the students after they were reeling on 136 for seven.

Barbados posted 244 for nine in 50 overs on the back of impressive half-centuries by Jonathan Carter and Dale Richards and then restricted the Combined Campuses and Colleges to 216 in 49.3 overs.

In a match in which both teams used more than 11 players, it would also have been a disappointment that each of Barbados' top eight got starts but most of them missed out on a substantial score.

In what could be a sign of things to come, Richards, the established No.1 opening batsman the previous two seasons, was slotted in at No. 3 with Martin Nurse and Wayne Blackman at the top of the order.

50 off 69 balls

Richards stroked an even 50 off 69 balls that included nine fours, but Carter's 56 off 61 balls with three sixes and two fours was even more entertaining and would have confirmed his place in the 14-man squad for the regional limited-over tournament in Guyana and Barbados from October 16 to 28.

As the hunt for runs intensified in the latter stages of the innings, a few wickets were gifted and spinners Ramnarine Chattergoon (4-39) and Nicolai Charles (3-38) combined to share seven dismissals.

Combined Campuses and Colleges challenged Barbados' total for a brief period in the first-half of their innings when a well-organised Omar Phillips and a confident Simon Jackson put for 73 for the second wicket.

Phillips made 34 and fellow left-hander Jackson, a student of the Mona Campus, hit 38 that included a ferociously pulled six off Fidel Edwards that landed in the Greenidge and Haynes Stand.

Edwards removed both but his seven overs cost 53 and Barbados required left-arm spinners Sulieman Benn and Derick Bishop to tighten things up and off-spinner Kenroy Williams came on later to grab three wickets.

Calvin Watson, surprisingly batting as low as No. 8, hit the top score of 47 before he was last out.

The two teams will have another practice match on Tuesday at the 3Ws Oval.