MAINTAINING momentum will be the order of the day when the defending champions Guyana Jaguars clash with the Leeward Islands Hurricanes today in round two of the Regional Four-Day Championships at Warner Park in St Kitts.The Jaguars are second on the points table, but will definitely start this round as firm favourites, taking into consideration their huge win in the opening round on Monday.
They currently sit on 17.8 points, .2 behind leaders Trinidad and Tobago Red Force.
However, complacency will be the only thing that Leon Johnson and company will have to resist, but the Jaguars have never given the impression that this is something which imbeds itself in the way they operate.
Monday’s win against the Jamaica Scorpions was the 18th time the Guyanese have gone undefeated since the 2013/2014 season.
However, the contest will still generate a lot of interest in both countries, since the hosts have displayed plenty of character in their opening encounter, where they drew the game against former champions Barbados Pride last Monday at the venue.
Antigua & Barbuda’s Rahkeem Cornwall led the Hurricanes’ charge when he finished with match figures of nine for 218.
After that game, coach of Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Reginald Benjamin, has hailed his team’s positive start, as encouraging.
He told the Daily Observer newspaper that his charges look forward to their match against the defending champions, adding that he expects the team to improve as the competition progresses.
On the other hand, the Jaguars’ batting and bowling departments have definitively clicked as a unit in round one. Four batsmen scored half-centuries, while the bowlers did their part, especially left-arm spinners Gudakesh Motie and Veerasammy Permaul, but their fielding remains a concern.
Head coach Esaun Crandon has urged his side to improve in this area, in order to be a competitive force.
Jaguars earned their points from a 181-run win over Jamaica while Red Force blew away Windward Islands Volcanoes by nine wickets at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad.
Hurricanes are on 8.8 points, Pride on 6, Scorpions 4.8 and Volcanoes 4.
Teams earn 12 points for an outright victory while extra points for batting, spin bowling and pace bowling are also up for grabs.
Meanwhile, in other second-round matches Scorpions take on Volcanoes at Sabina Park and Red Force play Pride at Queen’s Park Oval.