Preparation integral to UWI success

With the UWI Blackbirds team looking to go all the way once again in all formats of cricket, coach of the team Floyd Reifer said that preparation was key as they claimed their first title recently on home turf.

 

Speaking after an emphatic victory in the Sagicor T20 final of the Barbados Cricket Association, Reifer told The Barbados Advocate that they have been working hard since January.

 

“It’s all about preparation, we have a great coaching staff at UWI and a great bunch of hard working guys.”

 

“It is long preparation, we train these guys that when they leave University to be professional crickets and also very good people persons as well. A holistic person in not only cricket but academics, learning about life and putting good things in place for themselves and families and their futures.”

 

“We have been doing a lot of work with the guys, we have been doing a lot of remedial work and a lot of strength and conditioning. It is all about preparation and once you prepare you will do well.”

 

The UWI team produced two impressive scores in the semi-finals and finals where a number of batsmen contributed to the total.

 

Reifer first wanted to commend the ground staff for their excellent work, “Congratulation to the ground staff, Clyde Estwick and his team, for producing pitches that were great for T20 cricket.”

 

However Reifer was mindful that “although the pitches were good, you still had to set you targets and hit our targets, such as rotation of strike and not using up too many dot balls.”

 

In the semi-finals against ESA Pickwick, UWI posted a mammoth total of 238 as Rovman Powell took a like to the Pickwick bowlers and what they have to offer.

 

Powell who was striking the ball clean and far finished undefeated on 120 off 53 balls which included 12 sixes and three fours.

 

Reifer had high praise for the young cricket along with other members of the team as he mentioned they batted deep and everyone performed well.

 

As for Powell, Reifer said that he scored using very good cricket shoots and it was an awesome knock.

 

“How many young men have you seen strike the cricket ball like that. I think he is an awesome talent and that is a raw talent. There are a lot of talented players in the Caribbean you just got to find them and he is definitely one for the future.”

 

Speaking about the future, Reifer said that UWI has set out this year to do what we did last year.

 

Up next they will be concentrating on the 50 over competition as they currently lead their Zone.

 

“We are taking everything in stride, we are at the top of the table in the 50-over in our zone and we go forward to the quarter finals and that is the next trophy we will go for.”