CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (CMC) - Sherwin Campbell answered his critics with a purposeful 12th regional first-class hundred for Barbados in their sixth round match of the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series against Leeward Islands at Addelita Cancryn High School yesterday.
Campbell, the former West Indies vice-captain, was undefeated on 162 that anchored Barbados to 356 for seven in their first innings when stumps were drawn on the opening day.
“From the start I decided the pitch good for batting and I decided I wanted to cash in on this pitch,” Campbell told reporters in a post-play interview.
“I have been struggling all season and put in my head that I was going to bat long, play myself in and I am happy to bat all day,” he added.
The long-standing Barbados opening batsman has been a shadow of himself for a greater part of the season and his place in the side for this match was the subject of hot debate on sports radio talk shows in his island.
Greeted by sunny weather, a bone-hard, very true pitch, a parched outfield, and a bowling attack that lacked teeth, Campbell summoned all the experience he has gained in close to 15 years of regional and international cricket to fashion a hundred of immense quality.
Batting all day, he did not offer a semblance of a chance to the fielders. He smote 21 fours, mostly through the offside from 282 balls, to lead the Barbados batting after the visitors chose to bat.
Jeremy with two wickets for 92 runs from 20 overs and Hodge with two for 93 from 24 overs were the most successful bowlers for Leewards.
Campbell’s example, however, was not followed by most of the other batsmen, many of whom gifted their wickets to ill-advised strokes. Ryan Hinds scored 49, but five other batsmen fell for scores ranging between 20 and 30.
Kurt Wilkinson was the first of them. He and Campbell spent the first hour wearing the Leewards bowlers down with a stand of 49 before he was caught at deep mid-on off left-arm spin bowler Virgil Browne for 21.
Campbell and left-hander Ryan Hinds batted Barbados through to 103 for one at lunch and were hardly troubled by the bowlers either before or after the interval.
They had shared 104 for the second wicket at a little better than a run-a-ball when Hinds was adjudged lbw to off-spin bowler Chaka Hodge, playing across a flatter, faster delivery.
There were few problems for Campbell and left-hander Floyd Reifer and they added 46 for the third wicket at better than a run-a-minute. Just when it looked like they would run away with it, Reifer top-edged a hook at a short, rising delivery from Kerry Jeremy and was caught inside the long-leg boundary for 27.
Dwayne Smith, promised much, but delivered very little, and would have been awfully disappointed with his manner of dismissal when he watched the television replays.
He was bowled for one slogging at a flighted ball from Hodge to leave the front-runners on 203 for four.
At this stage, Campbell was nearing his landmark and achieved the milestone with a single to deep fine leg. At the other end, Antonio Mayers found life difficult against a few fiery short, rising balls from Jeremy, but he showed courage and determination to remain with Campbell until tea when Barbados were 226 for four.
After the break, Mayers was just beginning to blossom when he was adjudged lbw to Wilden Cornwall’s stiff medium-pace for 20, playing across a well-pitched delivery to leave Barbados 243 for five.
For close to an hour, Campbell and Barbados captain Courtney Browne had their way with the Leewards’ bowlers. All but 20 of the 56 they added for the sixth wicket were in boundaries, mostly through the leg-side against some short, wayward bowling.
Again, the visitors’ progress was checked when Browne was run-out for 29 by Sylvester Joseph’s direct hit at the striker’s end from backward point with the former West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman advancing down the pitch looking for a single off Jeremy.
The enigmatic Ryan Hurley entered and his first scoring stroke was a pull through mid-wicket off Jeremy after the fast bowler bowled him two short deliveries that were adjudged no-balls.
Twice, he offered chances to mid-off. On nine, Tonito Willett dropped him off Sanford, who dropped him next over off Jeremy.
Hurley did not make the most of his good fortune and was caught inside the deep fine leg boundary for 21 when he top-edged a hook at a short, rising ball from Jeremy to leave Barbados on 335 for seven.
By this time, Campbell had reached the milestone of 150 and continued to bat with aplomb through the remaining seven overs alongside Ian Bradshaw.
BARBADOS 1st innings
K. Wilkinson c Cornwall b Browne 21
S. Campbell not out 162
R. Hinds lbw b Hodge 49
F. Reifer c Jeffers b Jeremy 27
D. Smith b Hodge 1
A. Mayers lbw b Cornwall 20
C. Browne run-out (Joseph) 29
R. Hurley c Willett b Jeremy 21
I. Bradshaw not out 8
Extras: (lb-5, nb-13) 18
Total: (7 wkts) 356
Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-153, 3-199, 4-203, 5-243, 6-299, 7-335.