Head coach Hinds speaks about success of Barbados Royals Women

arbados Royals Women repeated as champions of the Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), which was played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad & Tobago in August.

The other teams were Guyana Amazon Warriors Women and Trinbago Knight Riders Women.

Ryan Hinds, the head coach of Barbados Royals Women, talked about the success with this columnist.

HOLDER: Congratulations. What were key factors in retaining the title?

HINDS: Thank you very much. As head coach of the Barbados Royals Women franchise, I am very elated that we have been able to win back-to-back championships. To be honest, it hasn’t sunk in yet.

Capturing the title again was due to unity, togetherness and the fact that every player understood their roles and responsibilities to the team.

HOLDER: Your captain Hayley Matthews was unquestionably the star of the tournament with 147 runs (Ave: 49.00) including two half-centuries, 11 wickets (Ave: 7.81; Econ: 4.60) and three catches. What’s so special about Hayley Matthews?

HINDS: I thought that Hayley’s performances were truly outstanding. Apart from her batting and bowling, she took a couple outstanding catches.

In relation to leadership, she was able in a quick turnaround to get the best out of her players. She worked really well with the management team of myself as the head coach, Samantha Lynch (assistant coach), Shonelle Trotman (trainer), and Toni Anne Grant-Greene (physiotherapist), to build a cohesive unit.

HOLDER: Aaliyah Alleyne and Qiana Joseph were among the Barbados Royals players who caught the eye. What’s your assessment?

HINDS: I thought that Aaliyah Alleyne was outstanding in terms of her line and length and the ability to take wickets at crucial stages. She is a genuine pace bowler. She was very accurate in the final and took wickets at vital stages, which put Trinbago Knight Riders on the back foot.

Alleyne has the potential to be a top all-rounder but as her personal coach one of the things I think she has to work on is her fitness. Once she can get fitter she will be better and become a more effective all-round cricketer.

Qiana Joseph was the engine room of the team in terms of her aggressive style of play and personality. She is one of the jovial persons in the group.

She took up the role of batting at No 3 and was a key member of the bowling unit as the only left-arm spinner.

I also thought that leg-spinner Afy Fletcher bowled really well despite her figures not showing it. Her experience was beneficial to decision-making on the field.

HOLDER: Who were some of the players from the other teams to impress?

HINDS: I was happy to see Deandra Dottin back to her fitness and doing well as captain of Trinbago Knight Riders. This speaks well for West Indies cricket.

I was also very impressed with the West Indies Women’s Under-19 captain, Samara Ramnath, an off-spinner who dismissed Matthews twice in the tournament. At the age of 16, her control as a slow bowler is impressive.

HOLDER: What’s your take on the impact of overseas players?

HINDS: In terms of the overseas players, I thought that they gelled really well with the regional players.

For example in our team, Chamari Athapaththu, who is the captain of Sri Lanka. Athapaththu arrived a day before the start of the tournament as she was involved in an international series against Ireland.

We also had three Australians in the team – Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Harris and Georgia Redmayne.

I must commend these players for their commitment and dedication because they were involved in the Hundred Final.

Having these quality overseas players speaks to the quality of the Massy Women’s CPL. It bodes well for West indies Women’s cricket when these players can come and impart their knowledge.

In terms of the dressing room they were very helpful, sharing their knowledge and what they would have learnt playing in different leagues around the world.

Wellington is a leg-break bowler, who was with us from last year and she is one of our leading bowlers.

Harris is a destructive batter and she was also excellent in the field.

Redmayne is a wicketkeeper/batter who hit the winning runs in the final of the Hundred. She picked up an unfortunate hand injury in the final of the Hundred but she wanted to play every game for us.

HOLDER: How would you describe the general standard of play?

HINDS: The standard of play continues to be very high. When you look at the overseas professionals across the three teams that we continue to attract, you have Jemimah Rodrigues, the Indian who played for TKR. She is held in high regard.

Also Jessica Jonassen (TKR), a left-arm spinner and batter, who is part of the Australia set-up and Shabnim Ismail, who played for Guyana Warriors.

Ismail retired from South Africa but she was plying her trade in leagues across the world and is highly sought after. She bowls with really good pace and accuracy and is the fastest bowler going around in world cricket right now. She has the ability to get wickets with the new ball and also in the death overs.

To have these players in our Women’s CPL speaks volumes about the quality of the cricket.

The interest is definitely there. Ideally we would like to have one more team taking part.

HOLDER: What is your assessment of the West Indies team for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup?

HINDS: I think the team has a good blend of youth and experience with players like captain Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin and Stafanie Taylor.

I am also expecting good performances from Aaliyah Alleyne and Shemaine Campbelle among others.

HOLDER: What motivates you as a coach?

HINDS: Apart from what I have achieved in the Women’s CPL, in 2023 I was part of the double success for the Barbados Women’s team in the regional championships as assistant coach to Corey Collymore.

Ideally one would like to coach at the international level and also other franchise leagues across the globe.

I must give credit to the Barbados Cricket Association and its coaching staff who would have shared their experience with me including Vasbert Drakes and Corey Collymore who have imparted their knowledge in terms of working with women.

Also Dexter Toppin who worked with the Barbados Women’s Under-19 team and who shared some insights into working with younger players, and Richard Clarke, who worked with Iris Walker women’s team in BCA competitions, and who was the Under-19 women’s head coach prior to Dexter.

And credit as well to Henderson Springer, as head of coaching and high performance at the BCA, in terms of demanding of me to be a better coach and person every day and looking for avenues for continual learning and development.

HOLDER: I saw you in the nets at Kensington Oval a couple days ago working with the Barbados Royals men’s team. Can you tell us about your presence?

HINDS: That opportunity came about following a conversation with the CEO of the Royals group (Jake Lush McCrum) in collaboration with Trevor Penny, the head coach.

Trevor welcomed me with open arms, ably assisted by manager/coach Andrew Richardson. I was very grateful for the opportunity to be with a wonderful group of players.

Keith Holder is a veteran, award-winning freelance sports journalist, who has been covering local, regional and International cricket since 1980 as a writer and commentator. He has compiled statistics on the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Division 1 (rebranded Elite in 2012) Championship for over four decades and provides statistics and stories for the BCA website (www.barbadoscricket.org). Email: Keithfholder@gmail.com