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The vastly wide gulf between one of the region's major teams and another of the fledgling rookies was emphasised again here yesterday in a massive no-contest. Barbados thoroughly made fools out of opponents, who clearly should not be competing at this level, to win their second successive Red Stripe Bowl match that has virtually guaranteed them a place in the Final Four.

If they hardly raised a gallop in defeating newcomers University of the West Indies by 102 runs on Friday, they didn't even leave the starting gates in embarrassingthe Leewards XI by 193 runs at the Melbourne Club ground.

It was a vast disappointment to the fair-sized Sunday crowd who might have wanted to see a competitive affair.

In marching to their highest ever total in a regional limited-overs match, Barbados walloped to 323 for five from 50 overs and then restricted their woeful opponents to 130 in 33.5 overs.

Make no mistake about it – it was a clinically efficient performance by Barbados but they know full well that because of the inferior quality of the Leewards XI, it cannotbe adequately used asa yardstick.

"This was a very, very good win," team coach Hendy Springer said. "The guys did exceptionallywell in the batting and the only question mark I had about the bowling was that the guys bowled too many no-balls and wides. It doesn't matter how the opposition is doing, we've got to cut that down to prepare ourselves for when we meet much more serious opposition"

Among the batsmen who dominated were: Dale Richards and Ryan Hinds, with 81 each, and Floyd Reifer with a hurricane70 off 57 balls, while Sulieman Benn was the chief destroyer of the Leeward innings that offered very little on either side of a fourth wicket partnership of 79 between Colin Cannonier (47) and Tonito Willett (27).

Benn removed both to good catches in the deep and added a furtherthree scalps to finishwith five for 18 from ten mean overs.

"I am feeling good about my bowling. The pitch was a little slow. I'm in good form. I'm confident and it was quite easy actually," he said.

"It is known that good spinners get wickets against the Leewardsall the time. I am not really surprised."

Benn and the other Barbadian bowlers had the benefit of defending a huge total after the batsmen indulged ina run-feast.

The stark reality of it was that this Leewards attack resembled nothing more than a decent intermediate club standard and, even at this early stage of the competition, officials should be contemplating whether it was wise to separate them from Antigua and Barbuda.

From the first over to the last, balls were constantly coming offthe bats like the soundof shotguns.

Hapless Leewards spent their time retrieving the ball from the boundary 43 times and on five occasions they had to fetch it from beyond the ropes on a ground which carries the famous names of Michael Holding and Courtney Walsh ateither end.

The Melbourne Club ground, with small boundaries in certain sections and its lightening fast outfield, is tailor-made for runs and almost every Barbados batsman cashed in on the syrup that was served up in mainly cloudy conditions – the major contributions coming Dale Richards, Ryan Hinds and Floyd Reifer.

By the half-way stage of the innings, Barbados advanced to 151 for one with Richards and Hinds in the course of a second-wicket partnership that seemed unlikely to be broken. They looked like Lara and Hooper together, but having said that, the bowling would have been in the incapable hands of primary schoolboys.

Hundreds seemed a forgone conclusion for both Richards and Hinds but they were denied only by the run-out route when each was 19 away.

The dismissal of Richards, in particular,was freakish.

After cracking ten fours, mainly from power-fully struck cover-drives and cuts, along with two straight sixes from uncomplicated off-spin,he was found shortof his ground whenHinds' drive back along the pitch rebounded from the bowler Alex Adams, and onto the stumps.

Hinds, positive fromhis first scoring stroke, justified management's decision to allow him the No. 3 position.

He was never once bogged down and his cutting and flickingwere authoritative tosay the least.

Never before has he completed a century at this level and he was clearly angry when he found himself at the same end with Reifer, who correctly did not respond to his call for a tight single to point.

Hinds' 81 off 87 balls included ten fours, but he showed his obvious disappointment by banging his bat and helmet into the turf when he had to go.

For the last few seasons, Reifer has probably been Barbados' most consistent and most valuable batsman and he underlined that tag by smashing 70 off 57 balls to ensure Barbados capitalised on its position.

In the latter stages he was joined by the big-hitting Vasbert Drakes and the pair pulverised the Leewards to the extent that 91 runs came from the last ten overs.

© Barbados Nation