Barbados Royals Captain Rovman Powell Optimistic for CPL Matches at Kensington Oval

By David Harris

Captain of the Barbados Royals, Rovman Powell is looking forward to leading the team on the Barbados leg of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which bowls off at Kensington Oval on Wednesday.

After losing the first match against the St Lucia Kings by 54 runs, the second game against Jamaica Tallawahs was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The Royals recorded their first victory in this year’s tournament with a comprehensive six-wicket victory over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at Warner Park, St Kitts on Saturday night.

Powell is hoping that the matches at the Oval will give the Royals the momentum to take them into the playoffs and urged Barbadians to come out in their numbers to lend their support.

“Kensington Oval is an iconic cricketing ground in the Caribbean. Therefore, it is a privilege for me to lead the Barbados Royals at Kensington Oval. We are hoping that a lot of Bajans will come out to support us and hopefully, these home games can set us right in readiness to push us into the playoffs,” Powell told Barbados TODAY.

“Come on out and support the Royals. We are a Barbados team that is full of young, exciting Bajan talent, so just come on out and support us. We have four important games at Kensington and we are going to need all the support we can get from our fans.”

He described all-rounder Nyeem Young and batsman Kevin Wickham as two young talents who need nurturing and guidance at this stage of their careers.

“Nyeem and Kevin are two young and exciting talents. At this stage in their development they need nurturing and a little bit of guidance. The Royals family is the perfect setting for them to be in at this time. It’s a setting that provides backing and support and we will give Nyeem and Kevin the opportunity to develop their talent.

“Once this is done, these guys will show the world what they have to offer. In the first match against St Lucia Kings both of them showed glimpses of their enormous talent,” the captain said.

Powell, who captained Jamaica Tallawahs to the title last season, said while it was not difficult for him to make the transition to captain the Royals, he admitted he was nervous at the start of the tournament.

“It’s a new opportunity for me obviously to lead a different franchise, and the Royals family has welcomed me with open arms. Whenever you are welcomed with open arms, it makes the job much easier, so hopefully we can develop and create some very good memories going forward,” Powell said.

“I had played with another franchise for several seasons, so going into a new environment I was a bit nervous and unsure of what would happen, but because the Royals family has been such a warm family, they welcomed me with open arms and made me a part of the family right away.” (DH)