Chris Gayle and Marlon SamuelsTHE 2002 Rothmans National Cricket Championship gets underway today with five matches in the Surrey Cup and two each in the Cornwall Cup and the Middlesex Cup.
However, this year's championship will be the last of its kind as the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) has decided on a new format, and starting in 2003 the teams will be divided in two divisions.
Today's opening matches which continue tomorrow are as follows:
Surrey Cup: - last year's national champions Kingston versus St. Thomas at Sabina Park, St. Catherine CC vs JDF at Chedwin Park, Lucas vs Boys Town at Nelson Oval, Portland vs Melbourne at Melbourne Oval, Police vs Tivoli at Up Park Camp.
Middlesex Cup:- St. Mary vs St. Ann at Gray's Inn, Clarendon against St. Catherine Parish at Ebony Park.
Cornwall Cup:- Trelawny versus S. James at Hampden, St. Elizabeth against Westmoreland at Alpart.
While all eyes will be on Kingston as they bid to retain the national tile, individually, attention will be focussed on the West Indies players such as batsmen Marlon Samuels of Melbourne, opener Chris Gayle of Lucas, Wavell Hinds of Kensington, Ricardo Powell of Kingston, Leon Garrick of St. Ann and teenage fast bowler Jermaine Lawson of St. Catherine CC.
Attention will also be focussed on wickekeeper Keith Hibbert of St. Catherine CC, who on Thursday was named by the West Indies cricket selectors among 22 players for a four-day trial match before the upcoming Pakistan series.
Hibbert, 21, is a graduate of the first West Indies Shell Cricket Academy last August. The practice match is scheduled for the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain January 18-21.
Injured Jamaican paceman Franklyn Rose and retired West Indies pacer Courtney Walsh are expected to be in Melbourne's line up later in the season.
Rose whose sojourn in South Africa with provincial side Gauteng was curtailed by a knee injury last year, will make a return to Melbourne when fully fit; while Walsh has made himself available for some of the matches.
Unlike last year when the Jamaica team was away and a number of the teams were not at full strength in the opening round, all the top players will be available for the opening matches according to Brian Breese, chief executive officer of the JCA.
As a result of the availability of the top players, today's set of matches should be keenly contested as the teams hunt a good start.
