Blackwood hails Scorpions first win - Guyana Chronicle

Source: Guyana Chronicle

KINGSTON, Jamaica, (CMC) - Captain Jermaine Blackwood has praised his Jamaica Scorpions side in the wake of their first victory in the West Indies Championship in two years.

Scorpions, who went winless in the competition last season and lost their opener two weeks ago to Windward Islands Volcanoes, thrashed Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners by 10 wickets inside three days last Friday.

"We still have a little work to do in the middle, but I'm very happy with the first-innings [performance], and I think we bowled pretty well, too," said Blackwood, the former West Indies Test vice-captain who recently lost his place in the international side.

"If some things didn't happen in the first innings, they can always be rectified in the second innings, and I think the bowlers did that pretty well.

"They went out there and they executed their plans," he told the Observer newspaper here.

Scorpions lost their opener to Volcanoes heavily, going by nine wickets at Sabina Park after producing a timid display.

Their batting let them down on that occasion, with totals of 159 and 234 proving inadequate, and Romaine Morrison the only player to get a half-century.

There was turnaround in the second game, however, with 38-year-old opener Chadwick Walton slamming a stellar 163 to lay the foundation for an impressive win.

"Last week didn't go as we planned, but this week we came and rectified things," explained the 32-year-old Blackwood, who has played 56 Tests.

"I want to credit all the players, especially Chadwick and Gordon Bryan, because I think they were exceptional this game.

We strive to make 300-plus in the first innings; we just have to pay more attention to partnerships like the one that Carlos (Brown) and Chadwick had [for the opening stand]."

Scorpions, who are yet to win the Championship in the professional era, host Barbados Pride in their third-round encounter at Sabina Park starting tomorrow.