JamaicaN captain Tamar Lambert and wrist-spinner Odean Brown have labelled the playing surface used in the recent West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional four-day final as being “poor” and unfit for a first-class match.

Jamaica ran out comfortable eight-wicket winners over the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) in a low-scoring championship match played at the Three Ws Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, but the stockily-built Jamaica captain expressed disappointment at the state of the pitch.

Speaking last week Monday at an impromptu press briefing at the Norman Manley International Airport, moments after the Jamaica team arrived in the island, Lambert said the pitch heavily favoured spin from too early in the match and added that it was the main reason for the encounter ending in less than two days.

“They (CCC) have two spinners (Kavesh Kantasingh and Ryan Austin) who have gotten a lot of wickets at that ground and it (the pitch) seemed to have been prepared for them. No batsman passed half-century in the game, which is sad.

“The ball was turning square from day one and I’m surprised that the game wasn’t played at… the Kensington Oval instead. It is sad it ended in two days, but I’m glad we played excellent cricket to come out on top,” he said.

Jamaica’s triumph meant four consecutive wins in the regional four-day competition to match Barbados’ feat established between 1977-1980.

Jamaican coach Junior Bennett was in charge between 2008 and 2010, while Trinidad-born Augustine Logie guided the team to their most recent triumph.

Brown, the region’s most successful wrist-spinner in recent seasons, took three wickets in the first innings and four in the second to snatch the Man-of-the-Match Award. He was well supported by left-arm orthodox spinner Nikita Miller, who ended with five.

The CCC’s left-arm orthodox bowler Kantasingh and off-spinner Austin also took five wickets each, but their influence on the match was stymied by Jamaica’s substantial first-innings lead.

Brown believes the home team’s strategy of trying to dominate with their formidable spin attack worked against them.

“The ball was spinning and bouncing steeply from the first day and I think it was their plan to come out with a spinner-friendly wicket, but it backfired. It was disappointing though, because you can’t be playing a final and set a poor wicket like that,” Brown told the Observer.

Lambert charged that the focus of the various territories has to be changed if regional cricket is to grow and see the re-emergence of top West Indian fast bowling.

“It was a poor wicket and certainly not expected in a final where we are supposed to be looking out for the betterment of West Indies cricket.

“We need to stop paying attention to individual performances and wanting our own territories to win and prepare surfaces that players will develop and for fast bowlers to be encouraged,” he said.