GEORGETOWN, Guyana(CMC):
Hosts Guyana and title-chasing Barbados will seek victories to enhance their claim for places in the final, when the fourth and penultimate round of the TCL Group West Indies Under-19 Cricket Challenge bowls off today.
Guyana, the only team to complete a victory in the last round, lead the points table with 30, six more than second-placed Barbados going into this round.
Further, Guyana need only first innings points from their clash with Jamaica at Enmore to be assured of a place in the final, as they hunt their 12th title at this level and first since 1997.
Guyana's batting line up, which includes two West Indies Under-19 players, is their strength, but left arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, who has had two Man-of-the-Match performances on his way to 20 wickets so far in the series, will pose a threat.
Skipper Steven Jacobs, a first-class player, has offered support with his steady, if not destructive, off-spin and could emerge as one of the leading all-rounders in the competition.
Jamaica has been a big disappointment although Jamie Trenchfield, who led the team to championship honours in 2004, returned to form with a half-century in the last game after giving up the captaincy to concentrate on his batting.
Like Guyana, Barbados, the runners up for the last two years, have played consistent cricket and once they do not lose to the Leeward Islands in their fourth round game at Wales, they will be assured of a place in the final.
The final day of their last two matches were completely washed out and Barbados opener Jed Yearwood (the only batsman with 300 runs), who pounded 186 against the Windward Islands and half centuries against Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, will hope for as much cricket as possible to increase his aggregate.
Yearwood, Guyana's Gajanand Singh (100) and Windward Islands skipper Lauron Francois (135) have been the only batsmen to reach the three-figure mark on the slow, low Guyana pitches.
Defending champions Trinidad and Tobago have been a major disappointment and have lacked the killer instinct associated with champions.
They face last-placed Windward Islands at the Demerara Cricket Club ground in the other fourth round game on today. But like Jamaica, they are out of the running for championship honours.
