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Positivity, watching the ball, staying balanced were keys to success
Barnwell dedicates maiden ton to family and supporters
By Sean Devers
Chris Barnwell on the go during his 107 for Guyana Jaguars. (CWI)
Evin Lewis leading the batting averages with Christopher Barnwell in close proximity. (CWI)
Gudakesh Motie is the lead wicket taker but Nial Smith is also in the hunt. (CWI)
Kaieteur News – Last Sunday at the Coolidge ground in Antigua Guyana Jaguars beat Jamaica Scorpions by 109 runs in the Regional Super50 tournament with Christopher Barnwell smashing four fours and six sixes in his 90-ball 107 before he was run out.
It took the 34-year-old batting all-rounder 62 matches and 59 innings to convert his 11th score of over 50 into a century.
The confident Barnwell had missed the landmark by one run when he made an unbeaten 99 from 77 balls against Canada at the Brian Lara Academy in Trinidad in the 2018 tournament.
“It is always a wonderful feeling to score a century but this one was more special because of the position the team was in at that moment,” said Barnwell, who has scored two centuries and 12 fifties in 61 First-Class games between February 2009 to March 2020.
When Barnwell walked to the crease the Jaguars were on the ropes at 23-3 in the ninth over, with left-hander Chanderpaul Hemraj (8), Assad Fudadin (10) and stand-in Captain Shimron Hetmyer (1) all back in the pavilion.
Barnwell shared in a 91-run stand with Akshaya Persaud who made a responsible 25 from 65 and 88 with Anthony Bramble who blasted a 49-ball 69.
Barnwell, just back from the US Open T20 Tournament, explained that the pitch had a bit of inconsistent bounce but revealed that ‘Once you got in it was easy to score’.
“What I tried to do different here was that I was positive, watched the ball longer and stayed balanced,” said the pugnacious DCC right-hander who played six T2O Internationals for the West Indies between 2011 and 2013.
Barnwell reached his first ever Regional 50 overs century with a six and disclosed what was going through his mind just prior to playing that shot.
“I just had a clear mind-set…it was a free-hit so I just wanted to make contact with the ball,” continued Barnwell who has represented West Indies, Barbados Tridents, Guyana, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore, St Lucia Zouks and West Indies A.
In 2010 it was Barnwell’s spell of 1-19 from four overs and Jonathon Foo last minute aggression in the final of the 2010 Caribbean T20 against Barbados which helped Guyana Amazon Warriors qualify for the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
Barnwell, who scored a century and two fifties from eight games in this year’s Regional First-Class tournament, seems more matured and responsible both on and off the pitch since he became a father.
“I am confident that we could go all the way but we want to take it one step at a time, we have two more group matches before we go into the semi-finals so we just want to keep improving as a team and we want to win all of our matches.
I want to dedicate this innings to my family and all those that keep encouraging me to get a century,” Barnwell concluded.
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