Ryan Hinds is New Barbados Skipper

In the Barbados Nation, Haydn Gill brings news that Ryan Hinds has been appointed successor to Courtney Browne as captain of Barbados. His deputy will be Ian Bradshaw.

Hinds has no time to allow the promotion to sink in, heading off immediately to captain the team at the Antigua Independence Cricket Fest this weekend.

Gill also reports that three players who represented Barbados in the last Carib Beer Series have been excluded from the squad for this year?s tournament.

Sherwin Campbell, Ryan Hurley and Shawn Graham have all been left off the 29 players on the shortlist. All is not lost for Hurley though ? as recently reported in Media Watch, he can return to Florida and play there.

The exclusion of Campbell certainly means the end of his first-class career unless another territory in need of an experienced opener makes a pitch for his services. If not, a retirement announcement could be in tomorrow?s headlines.

Former West Indies wicket keeper Jeffrey Dujon is tutoring at a three-day West Indies Cricket Board/Jamaica Cricket Association coaching education program alongside Andre Coley, according to a report on the Radio Jamaica Web site.

Starting on Friday, the program caters to coaches from Kingston, St Andrew and St Thomas. Boldface names associated with the program include Philip Service who will tutor at the Kaiser Sports Ground for Trelawny and St Ann, and Junior Bennett, who is involved with the Manchester and Clarendon session. The program is slated to continue in other parishes in November.

The Trinidad Guardian reports from Trinidad & Tobago?s third Carib Beer series trial match. On day one, batsman Samuel Badree top-scored with 56 for the Gregory Mahabir-led side, which features yet another Imran Khan, leading them to 232 all out.

Jason Mohammed?s XI went in to bat but achieved nothing other than an in-tact batting order. They will resume on day two with no runs on the board but all their wickets in hand.

Rickey Singh?s latest syndicated column again discusses the work of CARICOM to become more closely involved with West Indies cricket.

Singh writes that prime ministers Keith Mitchell, Owen Arthur and Kenny Anthony will follow a restricted schedule when they meet in Castries on November 4th.

Singh analyses the ongoing sagas of West Indies cricket in the context of the Prime Ministers? meeting and suggests that observers should keep their expectations of outcomes low based on the vague results from previous gatherings.

The three issues on the discussion table relate to the specific mandate of inviting the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to become an associate member of CARICOM; inviting the WICB and West Indies Players? Association to work with CARICOM to resolve lingering disputes; and reaffirming the WICB?s authority to select and discipline players.

The Jamaica Observer updates readers on the deportation battle of Phil Simmons, who was supposedly issued with an order to leave Zimbabwe within 24 hours last Friday. The law firm representing the former Zimbabwean coach has confirmed the matter will go to Harare?s High Court.

Speaking on his ordeal Simmons said, "All I know now is that I'm going to have to go to court. So I've just got to wait and see what happens then. I don't know how long I will have to wait for the court hearing.?

West Indies fast bowler Daren Powell is crediting fitness coordinator Bryce Cavanagh for his promising performance on day one of the West Indies tour match against the Queensland Bulls, says a CMC piece in the Jamaica Gleaner.

Says Powell, ?We have been doing some work on my overall strength, and I'm seeing the results. I'm not looking bulky like some of the other guys, but I'm feeling stronger.?

Tony Becca is again sounding a call for better management of West Indies Cricket in his ?From the Boundary? column in today?s Gleaner.

Using clich?d examples such as the team languishing just above Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in the official Test rankings, Becca says the answer lies beyond coaching and lays some of the blame on the weak state of regional competition.

He points to Australia as an example of improving things, quoting Tim May as explaining the Aussie system as ?Players who play cricket overseas in our winter months forgo a predetermined percentage of their income. These amounts are quarantined and donated by the players back to club cricket development or a similar need as agreed by the players and administration of any particular state.?

Gordon Greenidge has been in St Maarten to meet with the country?s cricket board and offer advice on preparing for the Stanford 20/20 tournament.

According to the Antigua Sun, each of Stanford?s ?Legends? has adopted at least one national team of the 19 that will participate in the competition, and will act as liaison between the local boards and the event organisers.

Rajesh Kurup, treasurer of the St Maarten Cricket Association said Greenidge?s visit was invaluable as he offered suggestions on how to allocate Stanford?s significant funds as well as covering issues they had initially overlooked.