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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 6, 2019
Regional four-day cricket bowls off from January 9 …Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica to host two regional four-day matches after 11-year break
C R I C K E T We s t I n d i e s (CWI) has scheduled the fifth-round match between Jamaica Scorpions and Leeward Islands Hurricanes from February 13 to 16 at the venue, along with the sixth-round match between the Scorpions and Guyana Jaguars from February 27 to March 1. CWI director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, said the stadium is scheduled to stage a Twenty20 International in two years’ time and this was part of the process to get the ground in shape. “It will be good to see the Trelawny Stadium hosting regional cricket again after so many years with this effort from the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA)to build its capacity in western Jamaica,” said Adams. Only one West Indies Championship match has been played at the ground in the past, when current West
Indies team operations manager Rawl Lewis led Windward Islands to a three-wicket victory over Jamaica in 2009. The ground has staged five other first-class matches – two involving international teams touring the Caribbean, and three involving West Indies A and counterparts from Sri Lanka and England. The stadium was completed in 2007 before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 West Indies and can seat 25,000. Adams said he was excited about the forthcoming West Indies Championship season and working with the new West Indies senior selection panel – under chairman Roger Harper – to identify the next wave of players to stake their claims for the West Indies Test team. “A new season is always an occasion for optimism as we expect performances from both established and rookie
players within the system,” said Adams. “I’m sure the new Selection Panel under Roger Harper will be keen to cast their eyes over this competition which will wrap up our 2019-20 cricket season.” Guyana Jaguars are the five-time, defending champions of the Championship. They open the tournament on the road, when they travel to Antigua to face Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in a day/night contest played with a pink ball. The Championship marks a decade since CWI were the first member of the ICC, cricket’s world governing body, to play a pink-ball match in its first-class competition, when Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago played from January 15 to 18, 2010. Pink-ball matches have now become a standard part of the Championship and each team will play two of these
games – home and away – under the tournament format. The other first round matches feature: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force battling Scorpions at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad, and Windward Islands Volcanoes tackling Barbados Pride at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St. Vincent. MATCH SCHEDULE (Play in all matches start at 10 am daily, except where indicated) ROUND 1 January 9 to 12 Hurricanes vs Jaguars – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua (2 pm daily) Red Force vs Scorpions – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad Volcanoes vs Pride – Arnos Vale Cricket Ground, St. Vincent ROUND 2 January 16 to 19 Scorpions vs Volcanoes – Sabina Park, Jamaica Pride vs Jaguars – Kensington Oval, Barbados Red Force vs Hurricanes – Brian Lara Cricket Academy
ROUND 3 January 23 to 26 Jaguars vs Red Force – Guyana National Stadium, Guyana (9:30 am daily) Scorpions vs Pride – Sabina Park Volcanoes vs Hurricanes – Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia (2 pm daily) *********************** ROUND 4 February 6 to 9 Jaguars vs Scorpions – Guyana National Stadium Hurricanes vs Pride – Warner Park, St. Kitts Volcanoes vs Red Force – Windsor Park, Dominica ROUND 5 February 13 to 16 Scorpions vs Hurricanes – Trelawny Stadium, Jamaica Pride vs Red Force – Kensington Oval Volcanoes vs Jaguars – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada ****************** ROUND 6 February 27 to March 1 Scorpions vs Jaguars – Trelawny Stadium, Jamaica Pride vs Volcanoes – Kensington Oval Hurricanes vs Red Force – Warner Park
ROUND 7 March 5 to 8 Red Force vs Pride – Brian Lara Cricket Academy Volcanoes vs Scorpions – Grenada National Stadium Jaguars vs Hurricanes – Guyana National Stadium ROUND 8 March 12 to 15 Red Force vs Volcanoes – Brian Lara Cricket Academy (2 pm daily) Hurricanes vs Scorpions – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground Jaguars vs Pride – Guyana National Stadium (2 pm daily) ****************** ROUND 9 March 26 to 29 Pride vs Scorpions – Kensington Oval (2 pm daily) Hurricanes vs Volcanoes – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground Red Force vs Jaguars – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad ROUND 10 April 2 to 5 Jaguars vs Volcanoes – Guyana National Stadium Scorpions vs Red Force – Sabina Park (2 pm daily) Pride vs Hurricanes – Kensington Oval
City, United head into derby with renewed confidence By Simon Evans
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - A week ago there was little about tomorrow’s Manchester derby to whet the appetite but after statement performances from both teams it suddenly has the feel of ‘must watch’ football again. Manchester City had lost their mojo - their draw at Newcastle United the latest in a series of below-par performances which suggested not only that their title hopes were fading but that Pep Guardiola might need to think about a rebuild of his side. Manchester United’s draw at home to Aston Villa was a listless display which brought questions, from some quarters, about whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the right man to lead them back to full competitiveness. But on Tuesday, in a 4-1 dismantling of Burnley at Turf Moor, City looked like City again and above all they looked like a Guardiola team again - passing crisply, moving with purpose, dominating possession and deadly near goal.
On Wednesday, United, inspired by a confident and talented Marcus Rashford and with Scott McTominay powerful in central midfield, deservedly beat a Tottenham Hotspur team managed by their former boss José Mourinho. What makes tomorrow’s game at the Etihad fascinating is that while sixth-placed United may trail City by 11 points, the same margin that Liverpool have over Guardiola’s team, Solskjaer’s side have been at their best in the biggest games. United have beaten Chelsea, Leicester City and Spurs at Old Trafford and they are the only team to have taken points off Liverpool, with a 1-1 draw at home in October. Mourinho himself noted that United are well equipped for games where they aren’t expected to be on top for long stretches. “They are not afraid to be with a defensive approach, they are not afraid to be at home, to take their time, to be in control of the emotions of the game. They are lots of young people
with lots of energy and good mentality,” he said. “When they are winning matches, they are comfortable in this situation of low block and a giant dominating in the air and being fast in counter-attack.” There are plenty of teams who have tried such an approach against City, however, and found that Guardiola’s side are well capable of dismantling their defence and limiting their counters. The derby then will be a much better indicator of City’s ability to recapture their best form than half-hearted Burnley provided. But whatever the outcome, Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool will expect to have their lead intact. The European champions, who crushed Everton 5-2 in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, travel to Bournemouth tomorrow with Eddie Howe’s side having lost four straight games and picked up just one win since the start of October. Second-placed Leicester, on a run of seven straight wins, are at Aston Villa on Sunday.