GROS-ISLET, St Lucia (CMC – Windward Islands and Leeward Islands enter their seventh round match in the WICB Regional first-class championship, starting today at the Beausejour Cricket Ground, with plenty determination.
Neither the Windwards – fifth on 29 points – nor the Leewards – seventh on 19 points – can afford to feel comfortable with anything less than a victory, since they have a realistic and a mathematical chance respectively, of reaching the semi-finals.
If there are any shenanigans, and Trinidad & Tobago – fourth on 40 points – and Barbados – sixth on 27 points – lose without claiming a point against Guyana and the Combined Campuses & Colleges, either the Windwards or the Leewards can get through on the inside and win the race to the Final Four.
Windwards coach Ian Allen said his side was well aware of what they needed to do to advance to the semi-finals.
“We need to put a competitive total up, which we have not been able to do consistently this season,” he said.
“We hope it will come in this game, and that we continue to bat well. We also have to bowl out our opponents twice.”
The Windwards have suffered in the competition from poor second-innings batting performances, something which Allen pinpointed as an area that needed improvement.
”I think we need to show higher levels of concentration throughout the match if we are to improve in that area,” he said.
“We are going into the game with a must-win attitude, and will not be taking the Leewards for granted.”
Leewards manager Percy Daniel conceded that the Windwards will be going into the match as a much more settled unit.
He acknowledged that his side had a higher turnover of players, since the start of the competition, and this may impact upon their competitiveness.
“As I felt at the start of the competition, we want to be competitive, and we plan to do so against the Windwards,” he said.
“There is a possibility we can get into the semi-final, and we are staying mindful of this, but it will be tough.”
Both sides are coming off three-day defeats in the previous round. Windwards lost by 258 runs against the England Lions on home soil at Windsor Park in Dominica, and Leewards lost by six wickets against Barbados also on home soil at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.
As a result, there have been a few personnel changes that could impact significantly on the outcome.
For Windwards, all-rounder Liam Sebastien is back to lead the side, after study commitments at the University of the West Indies in Barbados forced him to miss the previous match, and Johnson Charles has been recalled, having been omitted for the last two rounds of matches.
They replace Kavem Hodge and Tyrone Theophile respectively in the 13-member squad.
For Leewards, Shane Jeffers is unavailable on medical grounds, and Steve Liburd, their captain this season, has been dropped. It means that West Indies fast bowler Lionel Baker will lead the side, and Morland Le Blanc and Juari Edwards, two uncapped players, have been added to the squad.
History favours the Windwards a bit in the contest, since they won the last encounter between the two sides at this venue two years ago by a handsome seven wickets.
That victory however, is only one of two the Windwards have achieved in the last decade, with the Leewards winning seven of 11 other contests in the regional first-class championship.