Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
THE REGIONAL domestic cricket season moves into its final phase today with Jamaica up against the Leeward Islands at Alpart in a five-day contest for the Carib Beer Challenge Trophy and US$5,000 (J$310,000).
The match brings together the winners of the Carib Beer League and the runners-up, and after 10 rounds of home and away matches, it was Jamaica first with 95 points, the Leeward Islands second with 58.
Winners of the league by 37 points after ticking off seven victories to the Leeward Islands three, Jamaica are odds-on favourites to walk away with the trophy and the prize money - and with both teams looking evenly matched, it has nothing to do with the difference in quality of the players on either side. The reason is the rules governing the match.
According to the rules, the second-placed team, the Leeward Islands, can only win the Carib Beer Challenge Trophy and the cash prize if they win the match. In other words, even if Jamaica lose on first innings in a drawn match they will be the winners, and that it is why the match, like a Test match, is scheduled for five days and not the usual four.
According to the board, five days is a long time to play for a draw, and remembering that the first match between the two teams this season ended shortly after lunch on the fourth day with Jamaica - 188 and 270 defeating the Leeward Islands 150 and 132 by 176 runs at Kaiser, it may be correct.
The second match was something else, however.
HIGH-SCORING GAME
In St. Maarten, the Leeward Islands declared at 510, Jamaica replied with 448, it was a high-scoring game, and based on the pitch at Alpart and on the batsmen on both sides, even though five days is a long time, even though there are some good bowlers on either side, it could be another draw.
The batsmen for the Leeward Islands include Shane Jeffers the left-handed opening batsman who has so far scored 486 runs with one century, Runako Morton 461 and one, captain Sylvester Joseph 430 and one, Stuart Williams the competition's highest rungetter with 749 runs and two centuries, Wilden Cornwall 525 and two, and Ridley Jacobs the competition's third highest rungetter with 667 runs and three centuries.
Against this, Jamaica will be parading not only captain Wavell Hinds 283 runs from five matches with one century, Chris Gayle 108 runs from two matches with a top score of 88, Marlon Samuels 356 from three and a top score of 160, and possibly Xavier Marshall, all of whom missed at least the first half of the season, but also Donovan Pagon who scored 616 runs and one century in the 10 rounds, Carlton Baugh Jnr. 573 and two, David Bernard Jnr. 545 and one, and Tamar Lambert, who, despite a poor second half since handing over the reins to Hinds, has scored 414 runs with a top score of 79.
PITCH GOOD FOR BATTING
Although it could be and should be runs galore at Alpart over the next four or five days, batsmen may not have things all their own way not only because the Alpart pitch that has been so good for batting this season could, as was the case on a few occasions in the past, be kind to bowlers, but also because pacers Carl Simon, Adam Sanford and Kerry Jeremy, offspinner Omari Banks and medium-pacer Cornwall are on one side, and because two pacers from Daren Powell, Jerome Taylor and Dwight Washington, and two spinners from left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, legspinner Odean Brown and offspinner Gareth Breese will be on the other side.
For Jamaicans, the really interesting thing going into the match is who will represent the team, and with Taylor not 100 per cent fit, with Marshall still on probation, there should only be one change from the team that knocked off the Windward Islands one day early on Sunday.
The one change should be Bernard for Breese with the Jamaica XI reading: Hind, Gayle, Pagon, Samuels, Lambert, Bernard, Baugh, Powell, Miller, Odean Brown and Washington the big pacer who grabbed three wickets in one magnificent over on Sunday.
Jamaica do not have to win the match, however, a draw of any kind is good enough for them to walk away with the cash prize, and the selectors may well decide, especially with Bernard and Hinds around, that they can afford to rest Powell and take a chance with Taylor, and to go for all-rounder Breese over Odean Brown.
