BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC – Leeward Islands are looking to overturn poor form and recent history against Jamaica to breathe life into their season in the fourth round of matches in the WICB Regional first-class championship, starting today at Warner Park.
Leewards stand at the foot of the eight-team ladder on three points, following their second defeat this season, after the Combined Campuses & Colleges crushed them by 158 runs in the previous round on home soil in Antigua.
The Leewards have lost all but seven of the 13 matches they have contested against the Jamaicans in the last decade.
“I am disappointed with our results so far,” said Leewards captain Steve Liburd in an interview with Antigua Observer newspaper.
“We had little preparations [before the season], and that is always vital for us.”
He added: “We look good in the nets, but it is just not transferring into the matches. The mood in the camp is sombre.
“We had a chat after the last game, and it was a blunt chat, so everybody stated what they had to say, and we are not looking back on the past. We are going to move forward from this game coming up.”
Jamaica have the same 24 points as the CCC and the England Lions at the top of the table, but they are effectively third, under the tie-breaker rules for the competition, after they settled for first innings points in a draw with Barbados last time out.
But they know they cannot take their opponents lightly, as they found out two years ago, when the Leewards sprung a surprise, and beat the Jamaicans by 28 runs in their own backyard at Sabina Park in Kingston.
“This is going to be another tough game,” said Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert. “We have only gotten 12 points so far from two games on the road, so it would be good to get a full 12 points from this match.
“We always try to play to get full points, but we always emphasise that we must end-up with more points than the opposition, so we are definitely looking forward to it.”
Leewards have reinforced their squad with the introduction of Dalson Tuitt, an opener from Anguilla, while they have recalled Shane Jeffers and Gavin Williams. They replace Montcin Hodge, Omari Banks, and injured opener Kieran Powell.
Liburd expects them to make a difference to his side, since he believes that batting has been the bugbear for the Leewards this season.
“We didn’t bat properly in both innings against the CCC,” he said. “We didn’t get off to a good start in either of the two innings, and that was basically [keeping us back].
“The middle order was not able to stage a recovery, and you will find this has been the pattern in the last two games. It is the lower order bailing us out, and doing most of the scoring.”
Jamaica will be without key fast bowler Jerome Taylor. He has returned home from Barbados, following the death of his grandmother.
The recuperating West Indies fast bowler has been replaced by former West Indies Under-19 fast bowler Jason Dawes.
Taylor is currently the second leading bowler in the tournament, and is coming off a five-wicket haul against the Barbadians, but Lambert believes his side can cope without Taylor.
“This is a mature team, and players know their roles,” he said. “We continue to put in the hard work.
“What concerns me most is that I would like to see a little more consistency from our batsmen. Only Marlon Samuels has been able to get triple-figure scores for the season, and I believe it is only time that will allow us to see a few more batsmen getting hundreds.”
Warner Park has been a happy hunting ground for the Jamaicans. They have won their last two matches at the ground two years ago, and last year.
Leewards Islands: Steve Liburd (captain), Justin Athanaze, Lionel Baker, Shane Burton, Shane Jeffers, Anthony Martin, Jacques Taylor, Devon Thomas, Gavin Tonge, Dalson Tuitt, Kelbert Walters, Tonito Willett and Gavin Williams.
Jamaica: Tamar Lambert (captain), David Bernard Jr, Bevon Brown, Odean Brown, Sheldon Cotterell, Jason Dawes, Wavell Hinds, Danza Hyatt, Simon Jackson, Brendan Nash, Andrew Richardson, Marlon Samuels and Chadwick Walton
Umpires: Luther Kelly, Peter Nero
