Four English county cricket teams have just completed a series of matches in Barbados. Essex, Derbyshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire together with local teams UWI (The University of the West Indies) and a select Barbados team have been pitched in 2 day matches, twenty over cricket and then, forty over games. Finally, there’s the War of the Roses match between Yorkshire and Lancashire., usually held over 4,000 miles away.

No wonder Barbados is often called Little England, with so many English teams and supporters on the island.

On offer were 18 games played the English way in the Barbados sun. Hopefully these matches will prove to be pre-season friendlies to get the players fit for their new seasons due to start in a few weeks rather than just an excuse to escape the cool English winter before Spring arrives.

Lancashire beat Essex in the twenty over game semi final (and then UWI in the final) while Essex found their revenge in the forty over version. Billy Godleman hit a magnificent 118 runs before being caught from the bowling of opener Smith. Essex had charged to a respectable 287 in their allotted overs with Lancashire only managing to reach 203 in return.

Local support was very good, although expecting Graham Gooch to return to his Essex opening days were dashed when the current team was selected!

The games were played at different grounds all over the island, giving the touring professionals and their supporters plenty to see including the impressive Kensington Oval, home of the Barbados national team and often used location for West Indies competition finals including the 2007 Cricket World Cup Final. It will also be used for matches and the final of the World twenty20 world cup in 2010, from 30th April to the 16th May. Both the men’s and women’s competitions will be played in St Kitts, Guyana, St Lucia and Barbados.