…Fifth round bowls off tomorrow
FRONT-RUNNERS and defending champions Guyana Jaguars will look to extend their dominance when Cricket West Indies (CWI) Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament resumes tomorrow..
The Jaguars played outside of their home territory for the past three rounds, will resume home advantage against third-place leaders, Barbados Pride at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
Currently, the Jaguars sit on 64.8 points, 20.2 points ahead of second-placed Leeward Island Hurricanes (44.6), Barbados Pride (42.4), Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (41.8), Jamaica Scorpions (36.6) and Windward Islands Volcanoes (18.4) complete the points table after four rounds.
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 embeds itself in the way they operate.
They have won three of the four games in convincing fashion, and playing their next three games at home will definitely give them that additional motivation.
The Guyanese will be aiming for a fourth straight title, and according to manager/assistant coach of the Jaguars unit, Rayon Griffith, his charges have played some excellent cricket to date.
Speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday, Griffith, the former Guyana fast bowler, is optimistic that the team will utilise home conditions to the fullest, adding that the Jaguars must not take the next three games lightly.
“We played some very good cricket so far, and the confidence among the players is high.
“Definitely we know our home turf…we have a good record at home, but haven’t said that can’t afford to be complacent at any point. We need to take one game at a time,” Griffith said.
The Jaguars have be a dominant force in both departments of the game since the inception of the League, but over the years, and especially this season, the opening slot has been the Jaguars’ main problem – an issue, Griffith is well aware of.
To this end, the 38-year-old is appealing for more consistency so that a better foundation can be laid for the rest of the batting unit.
Further, Griffith, who represented the country in 22 first-class matches, indicated that the squad for the fifth round will be named today.
Tomorrow’s match starts at 09:30hrs and admission into the venue is free.
Other fifth round matches will see Leeward Islands Hurricanes host Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, while Jamaica Scorpions play host to Windward Islands Volcanoes at Sabina Park in Jamaica
The tournament will again be contested under a round-robin format, featuring 10 rounds of matches, comprising five home and five away fixtures apiece, for each of the six franchises. The team to accumulate the most points will be declared the Champions.
