DESPITE concerns in some quarters about the frailty of the Jamaica Scorpions batting in two regional four-day cricket matches to date, opener Chadwick Walton is confident other batsmen will soon hit their stride.

The 38-year-old Walton was front and centre with knocks of 163 and an unbeaten 46 as the Scorpions blasted away Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) by 10 wickets at Sabina Park in Kingston last week.

In the opening round two weeks ago he failed with knocks of four and 20 as Windward Islands Volcanoes eased to a nine-wicket win over the Scorpions. In the loss, wicketkeeper Romaine Morris was the best Scorpions batsman on show, the left-hander oozing quality with 35 and 68.

However other batsmen, including out-of-favour West Indies Test players Jermaine Blackwood and Nkrumah Bonner, are yet to leave their mark. The 23-year-old West Indies Test left-hander Kirk McKenzie has also failed to spark for the Scorpions.

Of the lot, Bonner, who has a top score of 45 runs, has reasons to feel aggrieved, after replays suggested that umpires erred in two of his three dismissals.

Walton, who looked on as his opening partner Carlos Brown (48) was the next best scorer in the Scorpions’ first-innings 331, said it’s just a matter of time before the pieces come together.

“It’s a game of cricket and things do happen, [but] I’m quite confident in the younger guys,” he told the Jamaica Observer during a post-match interview on Saturday.

“In the first innings we saw Carlos Brown getting to 48, and unfortunately, he didn’t push across the line to get over 50. But, we still have confidence in the younger guys.

“We know Kirk McKenzie, we know he has some degree of pedigree, and Jermaine is Jermaine. We know what Jermaine has to offer so I’m quite confident with the guys,” the Jamaican explained.

Aside from Walton, the standout batsman in the second-round match was 36-year-old CCC left-hander Jonathan Carter, who made an impressive 137 not out in the first innings which guided them to 307.

He reasoned that he and fellow veteran Carter “assessed a little bit better and also took a few more chances” while batting.

Last week’s victory for the Scorpions was their first in regional cricket since 2022, after disappointingly going winless in the four-day competition last season and enduring a similar fate in the Super50 Cup late last year.

Walton expressed happiness for the win but displayed a bit of surprise that CCC folded for only 87 in their second innings, after a solid first-innings display.

“It’s a good feeling to come off the mark. It’s been a while since we’ve had a victory so it’s a nice feeling.

“I’m a bit surprised, I expected a little bit more fight, but it’s a game of cricket and sometimes these things do happen. Fortunately for us, it worked in our favour so we’ll take that any day,” he said.

The Scorpions’ next match is against Barbados Pride at Sabina Park, starting Wednesday.