… Guyana to face HPC in opening fixture
REGIONAL Twenty20 champions Guyana will begin their quest to dominate the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) 50-overs competition, when they face the WICB High Performance Centre (HPC) team in their first match on Friday October 15 at Chedwin Park, Jamaica.
According to a WICB media release, this year’s tournament of which Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) are the defending champions will be hosted in its entirety by the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), with all matches commencing at 09:00 h Jamaica time.
The HPC along with Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) will be joining Guyana, T&T, Barbados, Leeward and Windward Islands and hosts Jamaica in battling for the US$10 000 first prize that is up for grabs in the 10-day tournament.
The teams (10 in total), will be divided into two groups, with T&T, Windwards, CCC and hosts Jamaica doing battle out of Group A, while Guyana, Barbados, Leewards and HPC will challenge one other for supremacy of Group B, with the two top teams in each group meeting in the semis.
All players wishing to be considered for selection to the West Indies one-day international squad must make themselves available for selection to their respective territorial teams as per the recently published Selection Criteria.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the WICB Dr Ernest Hilaire said the WICB’s decision to include the HPC in this year’s tournament demonstrates a commitment towards the development of the Region’s younger players.
“The inclusion of the Sagicor HPC team is a demonstrable commitment by the WICB to the sustained development of young regional players. This superb opportunity for the team will allow them to compete in a seriously competitive 50 overs tournament against tough teams comprising highly experienced international and regional players,” Dr Hilaire opined.
“We are certain that it is going to aid in their continued development following the first semester of three months of intense work at the Sagicor High Performance Centre in Barbados,” Dr Hilaire said. 
There will be two preliminary matches every day from the start of the tournament until Tuesday, October 19, when there will be a one-day break, followed by the two semifinals which will be played on October 21 and 22 with the grand final set for Sunday, October 24.
The winner will receive US$10 000 and the losing finalists will pocket US$4 000, while there will be prizes for the losing semi-finalists, outstanding player in each game and the tournament’s best batsman, bowler and fielder respectively.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups of four.

Group A
Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago
Windward Islands
Combined Campuses & Colleges
Group B
Barbados
Guyana
Leeward Islands
Sagicor HPC
The fixtures for the tournament are as follows:
Thursday October 14: Combined Campuses & Colleges v Trinidad & Tobago at Chedwin Park, Windward Islands v Jamaica at Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium.
Friday October 15: Leeward Islands v Barbados at Sabina Park, Sagicor HPC v Guyana at Chedwin Park
Saturday October 16: Windward Islands v Combined Campuses & Colleges at Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, Trinidad & Tobago v Jamaica at Sabina Park
Sunday October 17:: Guyana v Barbados at Sabina Park, Leeward Islands v Sagicor HPC at Chedwin Park
Monday October 18: Trinidad & Tobago v Windward Islands at Sabina Park, Jamaica v Combined Campuses & Colleges at Chedwin Park
Tuesday October 19: Barbados v Sagicor HPC at Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, Leeward Islands v Guyana at Sabina Park
Thursday October 21: Semi Final 1: Winner of Group A v Runner-up of Group B at Sabina Park
Friday October 22 Semi Final 2: Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A at Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium
Sunday October 24: FINAL at Sabina Park.