It was a sustained, wholehearted effort by all that led to the success of Pine Hill Dairy St John Cultural in winning the Barbados Cricket Association’s Division 2 championship.
On Sunday, they completed a four-wicket victory over the Christ Church club Maxwell but captain Andre Corbin said the work really started several months ago.
“From the beginning of the season, we started playing hard cricket,” he told MIDWEEK SPORT.
“The bowlers were bowling a very tight line, the batsmen were scoring the runs often and we fought hard from the beginning of the season to the end. We said from the beginning that we are going to go to final and lift the cup.”
In just his first season as captain, there was special satisfaction for the 21-year-old former St George Secondary School student.
Corbin said the potentially challenging job of leading a club side was made easier by those around him and he would not be reluctant to lead the side again if called upon to do so.
“Leading a side with people that are more experienced than me wasn’t that hard. You ignore who is on the sideline and focus on the game and just keep playing cricket,” he said.
The skipper spoke highly of his team and support staff, making special mention of new ball bowler Rodney Gittens, John Holder, O’Neal Padmore and Lamar Mayers.
With a team already in the Intermediate, there will be no promotion for the champion side and for now their proud captain prefers to play at the Division 2 level with his current teammates.
“I have no problem playing (in the Intermediate division) but I like Second Division. I prefer to work my way up and then go from there,” Corbin said.
For runners-up Maxwell, the love of the game keeps them going and they will continue to get as much joy as possible out of the competition. This season was their best.
“This is the first time Maxwell have been this far in their history. To have gone to the finals for the first time is a very good achievement,” said captain Winston “Puppy” Haynes.
“We are probably one of the oldest teams in the competition but we had fun, we played hard games, we used our experience well and that’s what got us there.”
St John Cultural started the final day needing just 43 more for victory with eight wickets standing but the tenacity of Maxwell came to the fore as St John Cultural suffered a mini collapse that left Maxwell with a sniff of victory.
Haynes was pleased with the overall performance of his team during the season, noting that they were able to maximize their strengths to compensate for any lack of agility on the field.
“We don’t run fast between wickets like most teams. We play strategic cricket, assess batsmen and use our bowlers well. They hold a steady line. I was impressed with the way the guys conducted themselves during the season,” he said.
But the club’s existence goes far beyond the cricketing experience and the desire to win matches.
“It’s fun, it’s camaraderie. The club has come alive. On many evenings, you will find us there walking, chatting, socializing. For me, it’s a good social club. It’s a very together group and that’s important,” said Haynes.
