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2003 BARBADOS FIRE & COMMERCIAL CUP REVIEW
ORAN BRISTOL RETAIN FIRE SHIELD TITLE

Belleplaine belted in record-equalling fifth title for St. Peter team 

ORAN Bristol gave a true meaning to the word champions with a six-wicket demolition of Eastern Land Development Belleplaine in claiming a record-equalling fifth Barbados Fire & Commercial Shield cricket title in the 2003 final at Queen’s Park on September 21.
Appearing in their seventh final since the 40-over-a-side knockout tournament started 28 years ago, the Old Coleridge-based, St. Peter team showed their all-round prowess in telling style.
Belleplaine, in the final for the first time since after ten seasons in the Barbados Cricket Association, appeared to suffer big day seizure and never really got cracking.
Put in on a hard, true, pitch, the St. Andrew team struggled for the most part before reaching 158 for eight off 39 overs. Then spurred by an opening partnership of 115 in 20.3 overs between captain and Man-of-the-Match Mark Francis, who hit 67 off 66 balls including six fours and two sixes and 36, also off 66 deliveries from Nauldon Thompson, Bristol triumphed with 4.3 overs to spare.
It was the second consecutive man-of-the-match award in the final for Francis. The other was against Wotton.
Bristol have now emulated Cable & Wireless (BET), whose five titles are even more marked in that they were attained from the same number of finals in 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1988. In fact, the Wildey team, who last played in the championship in 1988 before gaining promotion to the First division, are the only side to boast of a hat-trick of titles.
This is certain to be the next goal of Bristol who were champions in 1980, 1989, 1997, 2002 and 2003 and beaten finalists in 1979 and 1985.
Wicketkeeper Francis, a former Barbados under-19 and Pickwick First division player, who took over the captaincy from the injured batting all-rounder David Carrington from the semifinal match against Combermere, could not hide his feelings about the success.
“I am happy, very, very happy. I always thought it would have been very, very hard to beat Bristol today,” he said moments after the match. “Bristol, at full strength, is a force to be reckoned with.”
Belleplaine captain John Kellman said he was somewhat baffled at how his team performed.
“I don’t understand what happened. We weren’t focused. Our shot selection was very poor. Our players just didn’t concentrate hard enough, myself included. I wouldn’t put the blame on anyone,” Kellman said.
Kellman played down the big-day mentality issue as he pointed to the fact that Belleplaine have played in an Intermediate division final.
“This is not new to us. My guys need to try a little harder next time,” he said.
Yet Kellman would concede that a one-day final is a far different cry to a three or four-day final in terms of atmosphere, the size of the crowd and a need for almost constant thinking.
It was reflected from early as early as the sixth over of the match when Wingrove Beckles ran himself out for eight, going for a suicidal single to extra cover.
Wickets then fell steadily around the 18-year-old No.3 batsman Roger Foster, who was seventh out for 29 off 57 balls. At 104 for eight in the middle of the 32nd over, only die-hard fans who had not yet arrived at the ground, may have wanted to be there.
The match was kept alive by an intelligent unfinished partnership of 54 in 7.3 overs between Dennis Nowell, who made an unbeaten off 27 balls including two sixes and two fours and Anthony Patrick, 19 not out from 25 deliveries. 
Francis was able to use his medium and slow bowlers to good effect against batsmen who failed to look for gaps in the field. Mark Small, who shared the new ball with Rodney Browne, and veteran John Greaves, were perfect examples of slow medium stuff which made the batsmen think. Small conceded 23 runs off his allotted eight overs while Greaves bowled seven overs for 15 runs, each taking a wicket.
Off-spinners Charlie Connell, in particular, with two for 28 off eight overs, and Myron Broomes also had their way until the latter was hammered towards the end of the innings as evidenced by figures of two for 42 off six overs. 
Belleplaine’s first three bowlers – Clifton Greene, Jason Henry and the experienced Calvin Herbert – lacked in tight line and length and between them conceded 64 runs from ten overs. Hebert sent down four overs for 31 runs.
Ken Mayers, bowling medium-pace off-cutters and Kellman, with his slow stuff, managed to tighten the screws but it was asking too much of them too late, even after Kellman broke the opening partnership by having Francis caught and bowled.
Kellman also accounted for Thompson two overs later by way of an excellent, diving catch on the run to his left at long-off by Foster. He added the scalp of veteran Owen Skeete for ten to end with three for 18 off eight overs while Mayers took the other wicket – that of Broomes (two) for figures of one for 27 off eight overs as well.
Greaves, with 20 not out from 19 balls and Connell (10 not out) formalized the result.
Summarised scores: Belleplaine 158-8 (39 overs) (D. Nowell 33 not out, R. Foster 29, A. Patrick 19 not out, K. Mayers 17, J. Clarke 12; C. Connell 2-28, M. Broomes 2-42). Bristol 161-4 (34.3 overs) (Mark Francis 67, N. Thompson 36, J. Greaves 20 not out, O. Skeete 10, C. Connell 10 not out; J. Kellman 3-18). Man-of-the-Match: Mark Francis.