Sabina Park’s has so far not proven to be a home-turf advantage for the Caribbean Premier League-returning Jamaica Kingsmen. The home franchise suffered its second successive loss in its 2026 campaign. They succumbed to the Guyana Amazon Warriors by 6 wickets with 5.5 overs to spare in a distinctly lopsided contest.
Batting first, in front of a vociferously supportive, again commendably sized, home crowd, the Kingsmen were dismissed for 117/10 in 19.4 overs. A paltry total that was never going to be enough against the Warriors’ powerful batting lineup, which included West Indies T20I topline batters Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope, as well as South Africa’s Glenn Phillips.
The Kingsmen’s teenage wonderkid Vital Lawes again delighted his home crowd with a wonderful eleven-ball 14, which included one boundary and yet another towering. But unfortunately, there was no encore of the superman batting heroics Andre Russell (DreRus) had provided during the previous home opener loss against the Barbados Royals. While skipper Rovman Powell perished again to yet another injudicious shot.
Russell tried his very best to make amends for his batting failure, a disappointingly soft dismissal, caught and bowled for just one, by capturing two wickets in as many overs. At long last, Vitel Lawes also captured his maiden CPL wicket, but they were both put to the sword by the Warriors’ top order. Led as it was by Shai Hope’s rampaging 56 off just 41 balls, including four sixes and two fours, and even more belligerent Glen Phillips.
28 runs off just 17 deliveries at a strike rate of 164.70 was the extent of Phillips’ inflicted carnage. A knock which was punctuated by four boundaries and one six.
The Kingsmen’s lopsided loss left me feeling just as disappointingly low as any of the other attendees in the JTB’s Sabina Park hospitality suite. From which I was again very privileged to be watching the contest.
Among those present in the JTB fifth-floor suite for the Kingsmen – Warriors contest were the Board’s Director Donovan White, as well as its Deputy Director of Marketing Peter Mullings.
JTB’s Public Relations & Communications and Events and Promotions Managers, respectively, Fiona Fennel and Lorna Robinson, were also in attendance. I was therefore feeling overly honored to again be among such prestigious company!
Also present was one of Jamaica cricket’s most outstanding home bwoys. None other than Jimmy Adams, who had, of course, served as a West Indies Test captain as well as, most recently, Cricket West Indies (CWI) Director of Cricket.
Jimmy’s overly warm recognition greeting hug was a testament to the now almost thirty years that we have known each other. We first met way back in 1999. He was then a key member of the Brian Lara-led, Clive Lloyd-managed West Indies team that participated in the Toronto-hosted triangular ODI Series which also involved India and Pakistan. A most memorable tournament during which I’d served as the West Indies’ Team Liaison.
The ensuing depressing lows of the Kingsmen’s second successive Sabina Park CPL home loss came as a stark contrast to the dizzying heights I’d experienced earlier in the day. Thanks again to the ever-awesome organizational competences of our JTB hosting Coordinator Candace Thomas; myself and tour co-journalist Wisden’s Daniel Senior had ventured to Jamaica’s famed Blue Mountains, which at its highest measures all of 7,000 ft!
Approximately forty-five minutes of circuitous mountain road driving was punctuated by spectacular bus coach window views of forested terrain as well as somewhat less comfortable if not totally scary, glimpses of the associated gorge drops. Our first stop, which was for breakfast at the Crystal Edge roadside restaurant, therefore came as somewhat of a most welcome relief.
Kudos to our Tour Driver Samuel Suglam, affectionately known as Ziggy, whose demonstrated driving competency, as well as his expert knowledge of local roads, was again on full display. As it has been, most wonderfully, every day of our Kingston CPL’26 tour to date.
My chosen Crystal Edge restaurant breakfast was the local saltfish and beans with ground provisions. Generously portioned and equally delightfully tasty. My washdown was arguably the biggest cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my entire life. 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee as it was; however, I had absolutely no difficulty drinking it all to the very last drop. Delightfully so, I must add.
Contented and belly-filled after such a delicious breakfast, we headed even further up the mountainside to the Craighton Estate for a tour of the Great House and Coffee farm. Upon arrival, we were treated to a most informative and highly educational recap of the historical evolution of coffee as provided by our tour guide Alton Bedward.
Alton’s demonstrated knowledge of coffee’s centuries-long evolution from its initial 9th-century Kaffa Ethiopian discovery, through to its subsequent status as one of Colonial Britain’s most lucrative products, was to phrase it mildly, absolutely amazing.
A coffee farmer himself, Alton took me and Daniel on a tour of both the Craighton Great House’s interior as well as its exterior. In all honesty, though, the ensuing trek up the mountainside to see samples of the growing coffee plants was, however, not in any way describable as enjoyable. Torturous would definitely have been a far more accurate description of that hike. At least for me!
The mountainous pleasures experienced from the Blue Mountains roadside Crystal Edge restaurant overly delicious breakfast and Craighton Estate coffee tour was amazingly surpassed the very next day. Compliments of a one-on-one interview with West Indies cricket’s most famous all-rounder of recent ilk, the CPL’26 St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (SKNP) captain, Jason Holder.
Admittedly, I have been a longstanding Jason Holder admirer ever since I first became aware of his involvement in West Indies cricket. From as far back as his emergence as the West Indies’ leading wicket-taker during the New Zealand-hosted 2010 U19 World Cup, through his subsequent 2014 Test debut, and ever since until now. As such, I was thrilled to bits to finally be meeting him in person, and even more so to be having the opportunity to chat with him about cricket, the passionate love of which we both obviously share.
So too our common November 5th birthdate. The actuality of which I was, of course, unhesitant in informing him with utmost delight. Having followed Holder’s career as a West Indies all-formats Test, ODI and T20I player and particularly as captain in the first two of those three formats, I have always been overly impressed by the eloquence of his speech. And by extension, how articulate he has always been in expressing his cricketing views.
I was still, however, absolutely blown away by all that he had to say during our chat. Conscious as I was of how tired he must have been, having just come from an optional practice, I only actually took about twenty minutes of his time.
Twenty minutes that could easily have gone on for as many hours. So captivating were his responses to my provided questions on his SKN&P squad’s chances of becoming this year’s CPL Champions, the record-breaking outstanding 2025-2026 calendar year he’s enjoyed as a T20 bowler, the strategies he’s used to overcome encountered challenges during his career, as well as his thoughts towards his eventual retirement.
Holder expressed his 100% confidence in SKN&P’s CPL title aspirations for this year. The key, he thinks, will be the franchise’s near-perfect blend of experienced local professionals, exuberant youths and most worthy international players. He attributes his outstanding ongoing T20 bowling success to clear-minded thinking, as well as an unwavering focus on consistently executing his bowling plans and strategies to the very best of his abilities.
In relation to encountered adversities, which he regards as a natural consequence of any aspect of life, his reaction has always been to focus of finding solutions, instead of ever dwelling on self-pity. An approach that was taught to him by the late, former West Indies player Ezra Mosely. He was not only a mentor and coach, but also a very close friend.
It was, however, Holder’s response to my question in relation to his immediate cricketing future and eventual retirement, that undoubtedly left me with an even greater admiration for him than ever before. He very much wants to represent the West Indies again in Tests and feels that he still has much to contribute in that format. He also thinks that his eventual retirement will be contingent upon his body’s ability to cope with international cricket’s physical demands, as well as whether he’s still enjoying being on the field and making valued contributions.
Above everything else though, when his time to call it a day does come, he would like West Indies cricket to be in a much better state than it was when he first started playing. Towards that end, he feels strongly that West Indies cricket is now at a crossroads, with an urgent need for there to be a much-improved focus on providing high-performance environment opportunities for the region’s talented up-and-coming young players. Of which there is still an abundance in terms of both production and existence.
The full audio transcript of my Jason Holder one-on-one will soon be made available for all to enjoy, just as much as I did conducting the interview. For which my sincerest gratitude must now be extended to Jason himself for having taken the time, and as well to both the CPL’s Media Coordinator John Ramsingh and JTB’s Candice Thomas for having facilitated our chat.
In the interim, there are still the Kingsmen’s final two CPL home fixtures, against the defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders, followed by the Jason Holder-led St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, for me to look forward to. Come on Kingsmen, give us some hometown joy!