Matthews hails Royals’ all-round performance

By Rawle Toney

Barbados Royals Women’s captain Hayley Matthews is hailing her side’s all-round performance following their thrilling six-wicket win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Thursday at the Kensington Oval. 

They successfully chased their target of 167 to win with six wickets in hand and two balls to spare. 

The combined scores of Royals and Amazon Warriors established new records for the highest team totals ever posted in the women’s tournament. 

Matthews said the Royals were not deterred by Guyana’s high total once they went into bat.

“They got quite a bit on the board, but at the same time we knew it was a pretty good wicket and with the potential we had in the dressing room, we knew that we could have been able to chase it,” Matthews told Barbados TODAY following the victory. 

Sophie Devine’s unbeaten 103 for the Amazon Warriors, which included 10 fours and three sixes, stood out as the best performance of the match. 

The New Zealand player’s outstanding innings marked the highest individual score in the tournament’s history, eclipsing Deandra Dottin’s 59 from the previous year.

Responding to Devine’s brilliance, Ireland’s Gabby Lewis contributed a solid 47 runs to the Royals’ effort.

Barbados Royals women’s team captain, Hayley Matthews. (Photo: Kemar Holder)

Matthews acknowledged the overall team performance, saying: “None of the other batters passed 50 today, so for everyone to be able to contribute today, put up a total on the board and get over the line, was great to see.”

Reflecting on the victory, Matthews said that while they had previously played second fiddle to the Knight Riders in the finals, they were focusing on their current start to the tournament. 

“I mean, it’s still pretty early on in the tournament. But yeah, just really happy to be able to get off to a good start,” she said.

Returning to The Mecca for the first time since 2019 added extra significance to the match. 

Matthews, a star in West Indies Women’s cricket, was excited to have the chance to play in front of her home crowd. 

She stressed the importance of playing at the Kensington Oval and said she hoped for more impressive performances in the upcoming matches.

“It’s always really nice when you have the home crowd behind you and supporting you. I think there was a lot of noise being kept at the end of the game when people started coming in and the girls started going really well,” the Barbadian said.

The Barbados Royals women’s team will seek to secure another win on Saturday when they go up against WCPL defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders. 

rawletoney@barbadostoday.bb