As pre-tournament preparations kick into high gear for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League, the Barbados Tridents gained valuable momentum on Thursday, notching a tight six-run victory against the Barbados Invitational XI in a memorial fixture hosted at Kensington Oval. The match was staged to honor legendary cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers, bringing together emerging local talent and the Tridents’ competitive squad for a high-stakes exhibition ahead of the main league campaign.
After winning the pre-match coin toss, Tridents captain opted to set a target batting first, and the side delivered a solid total of 183 runs for the loss of eight wickets across their full 20-over allocation. Young batter Rivaldo Clarke led the Tridents’ scoring with a blistering half-century, reaching 50 runs off just 34 deliveries, with six well-placed fours peppering the boundary throughout his innings. Kadeem Alleyne contributed a quickfire 30 runs, while Kevlon Anderson added 28 and Shadrack Descarte chipped in with 21 to push the Tridents to a competitive total. For the invitational side, bowler Tariq O’Neale turned in an outstanding individual performance, claiming four wickets while conceding only 31 runs, and Kemar Hutson-Smith matched O’Neale’s economy to pick up two wickets for 31 runs.
Chasing the 184-run target to win, the Barbados Invitational XI mounted a strong fight but ultimately fell short of the mark, finishing their 20 overs on 177 runs for seven wickets. Opener Shian Brathwaite produced a standout knock for the home invitational side, scoring an aggressive 81 runs off 51 balls. His innings included seven fours and four towering sixes that kept the run rate on track for much of the chase. Rashawn Worrell supported Brathwaite with 23 runs, and Zachary McCaskie added 16 late in the innings, but the invitational side could not close the gap in the final overs. For the Tridents, spin bowler Zishan Motara was the pick of the attack, taking two wickets for just 16 runs, while Jamar Layne claimed two wickets for 33 runs to seal the narrow win for the CPL side.
The warm-up fixture provided the Barbados Tridents with critical match practice ahead of their Caribbean Premier League campaign, allowing emerging and established players in the squad to test form and combinations against top local talent, while also honoring one of Barbados’ greatest sporting icons.