ST JOHN’S, Antigua – For different reasons, the two matches featuring the top and bottom two teams will hold extra-special significance in the seventh round of the WICB Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament, starting today.Second-placed Barbados Pride face unbeaten leaders and reigning champions Guyana Jaguars at Kensington Oval in the oldest rivalry of the regional first-class game in the feature match of the round.
At the same time, R4-Day matches return to the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School in the United States Virgin Islands of St Thomas after seven years, when buoyant, bottom-placed hosts Leeward Islands Hurricanes meet fifth-placed visitors Windward Islands Volcanoes.
In the other match of the round, bragging rights will be up for grabs, when third-placed Jamaica Scorpions tackle fourth-placed Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in a middle-of-the-table battle at Sabina Park.
In Bridgetown, Barbados: The contest between the Pride and Jaguars could play a decisive role in the destination of the Headley/Weekes Trophy, symbol of R4-Day supremacy, at the end of this season.
The Jaguars, holding a 19-point advantage on their hosts, may choose discretion as the best part of valour, as they look to extend their lead in the tournament – but the Pride will have to opt for the “no guts, no glory” approach to slow down the leaders.Both teams enter the contest in a rich vein of confidence, following solid victories in the previous round, when the Pride iced the Volcanoes, and the Jaguars stopped the Red Force.
When the two sides met earlier in the season, the Jaguars rolled over a depleted Pride side in the third round on home soil at the Guyana National Stadium.
This should be enough motivation for the home team, as they look to return the favour in a bid to catch the leaders, prevent them from claiming their seventh straight win and, more importantly, run away with the title for the second straight season.
The Pride, however, can’t be too confident about achieving this result. In the corresponding fixture last season, they suffered a four-wicket defeat, as the Jags chased down a target of 333 over the last day and a session.
The Jaguars are, however, without the two main protagonists of that victory – Narsingh Deonarine is now a member of the Red Force and Shivnarine Chanderpaul is away on personal business.
The Jags’ prospects are also fortified with the knowledge that they are unaffected by the absence of key players, due to the West Indies’ participation in the upcoming World Twenty20 Tournament in India, unlike their opponents.
The visitors have enough proven match-winners in spiiners Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo and Gudakesh Motie to make things difficult for the Pride, whose squad has been weakened by the departure of Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite and Ashley Nurse to Dubai and India with the Windies T20 squad, as well as a hamstring injury to West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach.
They have been replaced by rookie all-rounder Justin Greaves, uncapped fast bowler Keon Harding, a former Barbados Under-19 player, along with experienced opener Omar Phillips and Antiguan leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr, looking to make his first appearance for the Pride in any format this season.
In Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas: A rock-hard pitch and big crowd are expected to greet the Hurricanes and Volcanoes, as local organisers were putting the finishing touches on preparations.
The ACJHS ground previously staged six R4-Day matches between 2003 and 2009 and was brought back onto the list of approved venues to stage first-class matches, following a series of inspections of the venue by a joint team from the WICB and West Indies Players’ Association last year.
The ground is hemmed in between the picturesque Crown Bay at the southern end with a view of Water Island and Veterans Drive, a major thoroughfare into the city centre, on the northern end. The ACJHS school buildings are located on the eastern side, and docks and warehouses on the western side.
It, however, has not been a happy hunting ground for the home team, as they have lost all but one here. Fortunately, the solitary victory was against their opponents for this weekend – and was the last match played here.
Hurricanes and Volcanoes find themselves stuck virtually in the same position they were in at the same stage last season, and will be yearning for more consistency and a big haul of points to give them a boost in confidence, if not in the standings.
The last 11 matches between the two sides have each produced a winner, but the Volcanoes comfortably won a low-scoring affair between the two sides earlier in the season.
Hurricanes enter the match in a robust frame-of-mind following a victory over the Scorpions in the previous round, but the Volcanoes will have to pick themselves up after the Pride rolled them.
The home team have retained their squad from last weekend, but the Volcanoes will have to try to recover without the World T20-bound duo of Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher, while fast bowler Mervin Matthew did not make the trip, due to travel complications.
In Kingston, Jamaica: Scorpions and Red Force, two teams that started the season promising much will be looking to deliver.
Scorpions will be going all out to keep the top two within reach, if at all possible, and Red Force will look to shut the gap between themselves and the top three.
Both teams suffered setbacks in the previous round, when they were beaten by the Hurricanes and Jaguars respectively, but the home team won the contest between the two sides earlier in the season on the road.
They will hope familiar conditions will breed success, but the Red Force, whose squad is unchanged, will want the clichéd lightning to strike twice and last year’s result in the corresponding fixture will repeat itself – and they could walk away with victory.
In a significant move ahead of the match, the Scorpions have relieved Paul Palmer Jr of the captaincy and his place due to poor form with fellow opener John Campbell taking over and Barbadian import Kirk Edwards elevated to the position of vice-captain.
Also, the experienced duo of Carlton Baugh Jr and Dave Bernard Jr have made way for Chadwick Walton and rookie Nicholson Gordon in other changes to the Scorpions’ squad.