By Colin Benjamin
The fifth and final round of the rain affected 2011 West Indies Cricket Board’s regional under-19 three-day tournament gets underway today with three matches.
In one of those matches, fourth-placed Guyana tackles third place Barbados at the Everest Cricket Club Ground from 10am.
The game, as most followers of the competition are aware of by now, has no title significance for the local boys.
However, most definitely they will be hoping to end the three-day tournament on a high by securing a final round victory that would secure them a third place finish in the points standing.
The match also probably carries a bit of personal significance for young Guyanese batsman Chanderpaul Hemraj. Although he has batted well in the competition so far with scores of 88 versus Leeward Island in Guyana’s opening match and a solid 49 in the third round defeat against a Derone Davis inspired Trinidad, he will be looking for a three-figure score in this final round.
In contrast, the Bajans, led by the only test player in the competition, Kraigg Braithwaite, will also be keen on pushing for an outright victory, given that slips ups by Jamaica and Trinidad potentially can play right into their hands presuming they can get a victory.
But that is easier said than done, given that they were bundled out for 63 in their third round clash versus Jamaican spinners at Enmore.
Guyana’s side includes a plethora of solid spin options, led by West Indies
Under 19 player Amir Khan, who will be keen on exposing the Bajan’s batting fragilities to spin bowling.
This final round encounter is also a great chance for Braithwaite to show local fans what all the hype about has been about, since he has had a disappointing competition with the bat by his high standards in youth cricket,
which saw him controversially selected to open for West Indies in the just concluded international home season.
However it will be Jamaica and Trinidad, going into this final round, who have the best chances of claiming the
title if they get outright victories as the take on the Windwards and Leeward Islands respectively.
Jamaica has the tougher of the match-ups tackling the defending champions, the Windwards Islands at the Demerara Cricket Club ground.
The Windwards posses the tournament highest run scorer in West Indies Under-19 player Kaven Hodge with 249 runs from five innings with a top score of 155. He will be backed up by fellow Windies player Sunil Ambris, left-arm spinner Larry Edwards who is second leading wicket-taker in the competition with 18 wickets and bustling fast-bowler Ray Jordan who is one of only two quick bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in the spin-dominated competition.
The boys from the land of wood and water will be depending on West Indies Under 19 opener John Campbell who has had a decent tournament with the blade, in compiling 151 runs to really hit the ground running with a big score. Now would also be a great time for him to find back that form which saw him score three consecutive hundreds for the West Indies Under-19 during to tour to the United States, just before this regional tournament commenced.
So Jamaica’s path to outright victory quite certainly won’t be easy, in what promises to be the most intriguing match of this round. Trinidad, the defending limited overs champions, who finished second in the three-day format last year, will certainly fancy their chances against this year’s tournament whipping boys the Leeward Islands in their match at Bourda. The Leewards have sadly have been a one-man team in this tournament. Their captain Rakheem Cornwall, nephew of long-serving Leeward Islands player Wilden Cornwall, has been the lone shinning light for his side in accumulating the fourth highest run aggregate of 179 runs with his other team mates looking out of their depth at this level.
Such weaknesses should have the Trinidad spin trio of Davis/Idress Mohammed and Jovan Ali chomping at the bit to unleash their bag of tricks on the Leeward Island
POINTS STANDINGS:
Jamaica 31
Trinidad 37.3
Barbados 23.3
Guyana 18.8
Windwards 10.3
Leewards 6.7
Guyana: Ronsford Beaton (captain), Kwame Crosse, Kevon Boodie, Kandasammy Surujnarine, Dominic Rikki, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Jamal La Fleur, Anthony Adams, Ricardo Adams, Linden Austin, Amir Khan, Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, Loydell Lewis, Clinton Pestano. Hubert Evans (coach), Raymond Barton (Manager)
Barbados: Squad: Barbados: Kraigg Braithwaite (captain), Anthony Alleyne, Neil Browne, Jonathan Drakes, Justin Greaves, Chaim Holder, Shai Hope. Jerome Jons, Kyle Mayers, Shane Parris, Ravindra Persaud, Mario Rampersaud, Amir Thomas, Chad Williams. Dexter Toppin (Coach), Livy Coppin (Manager)
