by KENMORE BYNOE

IT WAS NOT CRICKET, football or netball, but Trinidad and Tobago still came to Barbados and soundly thrashed the locals when the National Kickboxing League of Barbados' amateur tournament was taged at the Barbados Community College's indoor gym on Saturday night.

By the time that Leon McGarrell defeated Trinidad and Tobago's Omkar with a unamimous decision in the final bout of the night, the visitors had already captured the card with four victories.

The first bout between Curtis Springer of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago's Kerwyn Edwards saw the visitor taking the fight by a unanimous decision. The gym was punctuated with cries of "kick" as both boxers lost points for failing to fulfil each round's quota of kicks during the battle.

Both Springer and Edwards attempted to dispose of each other with flailing fists obviously forgetting the key component of kickboxing.

Springer spent most of the fight in reverse, backing away from his opponent and when he advanced he was met by a foot or a fist. The Bajan was literally saved by the bell in Round 2.

The second fight between Barbados' Jamar Agard and Trinidad and Tobago's Jameel Lee was very exciting in the first round with both combatants sharing equal kicks and punches.

Halfway in the second round Agard was slowed by a side thrust to his left rib. Showing bravery, Agard recovered to continue the battle which he lost by a split decision.

Wayne Cool Simmons then entered the ring to take on Roy Straker watched by his father and mother, Keith and Lucille Simmons, and an uncle, Rudolph Medford. Family support was key as the fight was stopped in the first round to give Simmons medical treatment to his mouth.

Simmons looked a knowledgeable fighter but he was no match for Straker who floored him early in the second round. Following an eight-count, the referee stopped the fight as Simmons did not raise his hands to indicate that he could continue the battle.

Seerat Maraj gave Trinidad and Tobago a 4-0 triumph when he scored a split decision win over Paul Batson. Ironically, the most exciting contest of the night was the all-Barbados battle between Troy Cumberbatch and Dwain Daniel.

Both fighters were the most compact on show and displayed kicks and punches that were in short supply in the other fights. The small crowd finally found a reason to jump and cheer with Cumberbatch's corner throwing in the towel in the second round.

That bout provided the impetus for Barbadian Leon McGarrell to pull back a victory for the locals - scoring a unanimous win over Omkar.