John: Everyone was frank and spoke their minds

Chief Executive Officer of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control, Lennox John, is claiming that all is well again with the Senior Windward Islands Cricket Team, currently participating in the West Indies Cricket Board four day regional tournament.{{more}}

There was near mutiny last week, following the announced resignation of Captain Rawl Lewis.

This necessitated an emergency meeting with the team in Barbados ahead of their fourth round meeting with the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC).

The Windwards Board team included John, President Emmanuel Nanthan, Vice President Elson Crick and Chairman of Selectors, Julian Charles.

John told SEARCHLIGHT last Tuesday that the meeting helped to ventilate many of the problems that were plaguing the team.

“Everyone was frank and spoke their minds,” John revealed.

The CEO made it known that at the core of the discord was the strained relationship between Lewis and Manager Lockhart Sebastian.

John said that many of the issues were basically “bring come carry come”, with Sebastian at the center of accusation, which he mainly denied.

He also thought that part of Lewis’ disappointment was the team’s poor showing in their matches against Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, which saw the Windwards losing by an innings to Barbados and by 166 to Trinidad and Tobago.

This followed an innings win over Guyana in their opening match.

John said that Lewis thought that the players were not pulling their weight and added to his frustration.

But all was thrown out the window, and according to John, “the players all held hands and promised to serve Windwards Cricket”.

Lewis, he said, following the discussions, decided to continue in the post of the team’s captain.

John felt that this renewed focus may have helped in their improved showing against the Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC), in which the Windwards won by seven wickets at the 3 W’s Oval in Bridgetown.

The CCC batted first and was dismissed for 227, led by left hander Floyd Reifer’s 92. Nickolai Parris hit 54 and Captain Simon Jackson scored 38.

Left arm fast bowler, Deighton Butler, took 3 for 21, and the Windwards leading wicket taker so far, Shane Shillingord, took 2 for 73, and Kevin James 2 for 9.

The Windwards faltered in their response after being comfortably positioned, but finally reached 323, a lead of 96.

Andre Fletcher struck 69. Johnson Charles, 55, and his opening partner Miles Bascombe made 49, as the two shared in a century opening stand.

Kevin James hit 41, Mervyn Matthew, 40, not out, and Shillingford, a belligerent 34.

Ryan Austin was the pick of the CCC’s bowling, as he took 5 for 108.

Parris hit his second consecutive half century, 57, Jackson, 47, and Rommel Currency famed out 37, as the CCC was bowled out for 186 in their second knock.

Shillingford bagged 4 for 47.

Asked to make 91 to win, the Windwards as usual had some flutters and lost three wickets in the process. But Man of the Match, Fletcher, 42, not out, and Captain Rawl Lewis, 28, not out, saw them home, and added twelve points to take their tally to twenty four, going into this weekend’s match versus the Leewards at the Beausejour Stadium in St. Lucia.