Jamaica to bowl off Carib T20 against title-holders Guyana

ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

Reigning champions Guyana and powerhouses Jamaica will raise the curtain on the 2011 Caribbean Twenty20 Championship, when they clash in the feature match of the double-header on January 10 next year.

Guyana won the title when they beat Barbados by one run in a thrilling final in the inaugural tournament, when the second half of the competition was staged in Trinidad and Tobago in July.

The victory qualified them for the Airtel Champions League in South Africa in September, where they lost every game in a disappointing campaign.

Jamaica, one of the heavy pre-tournament favourites in July, crashed out in the semi-finals after losing to Barbados, and also lost to Trinidad &Tobago in the subsequent third-place play-off.

In the preceding game of the double-header, Combined Campuses and Colleges will clash with the Windward Islands.

Hampshire, one of the two English county teams involved in the competition, will open their campaign against Guyana on January 11, while Somerset meet Guyana the following day.

The Leeward Islands and Barbados, which tied in the final of last month's West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) one-day championship in Jamaica, will clash in the feature match of the double-header on January 11.

The first half of the January 10-23 tournament will be staged at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua. Action will then move to Barbados where the second half of the preliminaries will be played, along with the semi-finals and grand final, at Kensington Oval.

Meanwhile, the WICB yesterdayannounced that the slogan for the tournament is 'Where Stars are Born'.

"In Caribbean Twenty20 2010, we saw a number of young players coming to the fore. There was Jonathan Foo, Krishmar Santokie and Player of the Tournament, Devendra Bishoo, putting in outstanding performances so this slogan was more or less inevitable because Caribbean T20 is where stars are indeed born," said WICB commercial manager, Nelecia Yeates.

"The slogan for Caribbean Twenty20 2010 was 'Bring it Back' and we certainly saw fans bringing it back to the game and coming out in their numbers. In 2011, we are encouraging fans to come out and watch the newest stars launch their careers, alongside the established players," Yeates said.

The board's events manager, Cindy McLean, commented: "The WICB is going to ensure that ticket prices will be very attractive for all the matches so that fans can come out and enjoy all the pulsating action."

"There will be 12 matches in each country and with the matches in the afternoon and evening we know fans will have the time to come out to the games and those fans not in Antigua and Barbados will tune in to watch the live television broadcasts," McLean added.

The competing teams have been grouped as follows:

Group A: Guyana, Jamaica, Combined Campuses & Colleges, Windward Islands and Somerset.

Group B: Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands, Canada and Hampshire

Schedule

Antigua - Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds

Monday, January 10

Combined Campuses & Colleges v Windward Islands (4 p.m.), Jamaica v Guyana (8 p.m.)

Tuesday, January 11

Canada v Hampshire Royals (4 p.m.), Leeward Islands v Barbados (8 p.m.)

Wednesday, January 12

Somerset v Guyana (4 p.m.), Combined Campuses & Colleges v Jamaica (8 p.m.)

Thursday, January 13

Hampshire Royals v Barbados (4 p.m.), Leeward Islands v Trinidad & Tobago (8 p.m.)

Friday, January 14

Windward Islands v Somerset (4 p.m.), Combined Campuses & Colleges v Guyana (8 p.m.)

Saturday, January 15

Leeward Islands v Hampshire Royals (4 p.m.), Canada v Trinidad & Tobago (8 p.m.)

Barbados - Kensington Oval

Tuesday, January 18

Jamaica v Somerset (4 p.m.), Windward Islands v Guyana (8 p.m.)

Wednesday, January 19

Canada v Leeward Islands (4 p.m.), Trinidad & Tobago v Barbados (8 p.m.)

Thursday, January 20

Combined Campuses & Colleges v Somerset (4 p.m.), Windward Islands v Jamaica (8 p.m.)

Friday, January 21

Trinidad & Tobago v Hampshire Royals (4 p.m.), Canada v Barbados (8 p.m.)

Saturday, January 22

Semi-Final 1: Group A Winner v Group B 2nd (4 p.m.), Semi-Final 2: Group B Winner v Group A 2nd (8 p.m.)

Sunday, January 23

Third-place play-off: Semi-Final 1 loser v Semi-Final 2 loser (4 p.m.)

FINAL: Semi-Final 1 Winner v Semi Final 2 Winner (8 p.m.)