Furlonge: Dropped catches proved costly for Red Force

DAVID FURLONGE, manager of the TT Red Force, has bemoaned the number of dropped catches which proved costly in their 299-run trouncing by hosts Barbados Pride, in their Regional Four Day Championship fifth round match at the Kensington Oval, Barbados on Sunday.

Chasing a victory target of 377, the Red Force were skittled out for 77. The Pride registered their largest win, for over a century, at the regional First-Class level, while the Red Force suffered their worst-ever loss by runs.

In an interview on Monday, Furlonge said, “We started with a good couple of sessions on the first day, and then we dropped some important catches. I think we dropped about eight catches in the match.

“We dropped some catches (after) they were 46/6 and that led them to make (209), when we should have bowled them out for 120,” said the Red Force manager.

The Red Force were dismissed for 175 in response, and the Pride, in their second innings, declared on 342 runs for five wickets with opener, and Man of the Match, Shayne Moseley unbeaten on 155. The Red Force folded meekly in their second turn at the crease, with pacer Keon Harding taking five wickets for 19 runs, and match figures of 10/76.

Furlong mentioned, “It was a two-paced wicket, a difficult wicket to bat on.

The batsmen didn’t adapt to the wicket properly. But I think our main flaw was in our fielding. Dropping eight catches in a match, on a wicket like that, (was putting ourselves) under pressure.

“In the second innings, we dropped some catches (including) Moseley and (Kevin) Stoute. We have to do some work on our fielding, and get some consistency with our bowling.”

Asked where he thought the balance of the game went firmly in the Pride’s favour, Furlonge replied, “They won the game when they batted (secondly), scoring 300-plus. That’s where we dropped five catches. To chase over 300 on that wicket was always going to be difficult.”

This season, the Red Force had the better of their first round match against Jamaica Scorpions, and then defeated the Leeward Islands Hurricanes by an innings and 168 runs – both at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.

However, they have found the going tough outside of Trinidad, as they were hammered by 219 runs away to Guyana and played to a no-result away to the Windward Islands, before Sunday’s humiliation.

“We had an easy-paced wicket the first couple of games here,” said Furlonge. “Then we went to Guyana on a wicket that wasn’t the best. From the first wicket, it took a lot of turn (for the spinners). We went to Dominica, we were on top, but rain affected that game. Then we went to Barbados, with a grassy wicket, with the ball seaming around. We didn’t adapt properly to the wicket.”

Now the Red Force squad are back home for the Carnival weekend before going to St Kitts to play Leewards (February 28 to March 2).

Furlonge stated that the 13-member Red Force team to face the Leewards will be announced by Tuesday.

Even though this is the final stages of the 2020 Carnival period, Furlogne pointed out, “It’s a matter of getting back to work. We can’t let the Carnival affect us or our preparations. We are professionals, we will have some time off (to rest) but we will have some practice this week.”