Teams aim to prove their consistency in third round

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Round 3 of the Digicel Regional 4-Day Tournament, starting today, is shaping up to be packed with intrigue, following a couple of earth-shattering results last weekend.
Jamaica Scorpions will host current leaders Barbados Pride in the feature match of the round at Sabina Park; Trinidad & Tobago Red Force will face a buoyant Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Queen’s Park Oval and Windward Islands Volcanoes will meet two-time defending champions Guyana Jaguars in a day/night affair, starting tomorrow, at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Ground.
In Kingston, Jamaica: Both the Scorpions and the Pride found their groove in the second round, leading them to confident victories. The introduction of pace-bowling points this season has made things very tight in the Championship table.
The Scorpions are fifth – following their 41-run, come-from-behind win over the Volcanoes – and are a mere 3.4 behind the Pride with the Hurricanes, Jaguars and Red Force bunched in between.

This means both teams have an incentive for a big haul of points this weekend to see if they can create some daylight between themselves and the rest of the teams that have put themselves in the frame for the title early. In the last five matches between the two sides at this venue, both teams have won twice and the Pride dominated the other which was a draw.
So it comes down to which side will show greater heart over the next four days, since bowling appears to be the strength of the two teams, but the batting will hold the key to the result.
In Port of Spain, Trinidad: The Hurricanes will be fresh from their record-breaking run chase that should give them far more confidence and the Red Force will be smarting from a thumping at the hands of their arch-rivals.
This match will confirm one way or the other which of the two sides is the genuine article. The Hurricanes will be looking to prove their best starts for several seasons has been down to proper preparation and careful planning, and the Red Force will be looking to debunk any questions about their legitimacy.

The two sides have shared the last four matches played between them in Trinidad which indicates that neither can afford to take the other lightly.
The Hurricanes, on paper, appear to hold the edge with a number of regulars, but the Red Force can be a difficult side to overcome in their conditions when they put their collective minds to the task.
In Gros-Islet, St Lucia: Both the Volcanoes and the Jaguars will be looking to rebound from demoralising defeats in the previous round.
The Volcanoes failed to chase down a modest target of 105 against the Scorpions, and the Jaguars failed to make the inroads into the Hurricanes’ batting, conceding the highest fourth-innings total to win in the history of the modern (1966 onwards) R4-Day.
History favours the Jaguars: They have won the last four contests between the two sides at home and on the road including last year’s match at this venue.