Dillon eager to give opportunities for Red Force players

MERVYN DILLON, coach of the TT Red Force, is eager to give opportunities for his players to establish themselves at the first-class level.

Dillon, the former TT and West Indies fast bowler, was speaking during a post-game interview at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Sunday, following the Red Force’s 85-run win over the Jamaica Scorpions in their rescheduled 2018-2019 West Indies Four Day Championship first round match.

Focussing on batsmen Jeremy Solozano and Joshua Da Silva, Dillon said, “I’m really happy with what I see from them. Hopefully we’ll give them enough time to develop.

“Solozano is not that young but Joshua Da Silva, I’m really happy with how he played,” Dillon continued. “It’s just for us to give them the opportunities. We’ve been looking for quick fixes in West Indies cricket for 20 years and it hasn’t worked. For me, it’s to create a nucleus of players and give them the opportunities.”

The Red Force finished fourth on the standings with 112.4 points, trailing the Guyana Jaguars (154.2), Barbados Pride (134.2) and Leeward Islands Hurricanes (134). The Scorpions (97.2) and Windward Islands Volcanoes (92) took the bottom two spots.

Asked how he would grade his team, Dillon replied, “B. I’m satisfied, I’m okay. I would like to be here as long as possible if I’m doing the job.”

Dillon, who replaced Kelvin Williams as coach midway during the season, described his new job as “interesting”.

He pointed out, “I definitely didn’t want to come in and impose myself. It’s been a learning curve with the guys and I getting to understand each other. The respect that I got from the guys really helped in terms of how I managed the team.”

The Red Force ended a six-game win-less run, at the first-class level, at Tarouba.

According to the Red Force coach, “For us, it was finishing the season strong. We had a number of things that we wanted to achieve, winning a game at the Brian Lara Stadium was one of them. I’m happy with the way the guys fought.

“We could have been a bit more consistent in our bowling but that is something that we’ll continue to work on. We’re really happy with the victory. Jamaica had been playing some good cricket at the back-end of the season. We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. They made us work for it and I’m really happy with the outcome.”

Man-of-the-Match Jason Mohammed top-scored for the Red Force in both innings, with innings of 94 and 110 not out.

However, the Red Force batsmen have been inconsistent, with only Mohammed (634 runs), Solozano (572) and Imran Khan (438) crossing the 400-run barrier.

“There is some inconsistency which I’m a bit concerned,” said Dillon, “but the guys have been trying. I think the most consistent thing for me has been our middle-to-lower order (batting). It’s just for our top order to be a bit more consistent.”

Khan was the chief wicket-taker for the Red Force with 42, but fast bowler Anderson Phillip was equally impressive, taking 28 scalps in eight matches.

“One of the things I can say about Andy is that is A for effort every time,” Dillon noted. “He’s somebody that comes and gives his all, and somebody that I look forward to in terms of going on to play at the next level.

“It’s just for him to continue to work hard and, for me, just helping him to understand the groundwork that is fast bowling. I look forward to great things from Andy.”