GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Trinidad & Tobago, with eight titles at this level, start their KFC Cup title defence with a first round game against the Combined Colleges and Campuses at the Guyana National Stadium today. Trinidad and Tobago will hope to make light work of the team which has never won a game at this level in two previous tournaments.

The students, then under the banner of University of the West Indies, played in the Jamaica zone of the 2002 tournament. They also played in the 2003 tournament in Antigua.

They will depend heavily on former Barbados and West Indies left-hander Floyd Reifer if they are to prove competitive this time around.

The 35-year-old Reifer, who played four Tests and two ODIs for the West Indies, has nine first-class tons from 105 first-class matches under his belt and has been in dominant form for the UWI Cave Hill campus in this year’s Barbados Division One competition. Skipper Shirley Clarke, the 30-year-old, who played two regional limited-overs games for Barbados two years ago, will need to step up to the plate as a batsman.

The presence of Windward Islands’ first-class pair Rommel Currency and Craig Emmanuel should provide resistance to the T&T attack on what is anticipated to be a slow and low track.

The 25-year-old Jason Parris has also played first-class cricket, while Guyanese Ramnarine Chattergoon gets to opportunity of playing in the same regional competition with his elder brother, West Indies opener Sewnarine Chattergoon, and should lend batting support and help to bring the locals to their matches.

Even without Liam Sebastien and Miles Bascome who have opted to play for the Windwards, the CCC batting could be competitive on the lightning fast Providence sward as the students aim to justify their place at the senior regional level.

Barbadian Jason Bennett has played 19 first class-matches and will spearhead the CCC bowling attack.

Former Young West Indies left-arm spinner, Kavesh Kantasingh, should enjoy the conditions here as his team embarks on what should be a learning experience playing against the “big guns” of West Indies cricket.

T&T, who beat the Windwards in the last final this year in St Vincent, have a powerful batting line-up spearheaded by skipper Daren Ganga, who is a prolific scorer at the regional level.

The team from the twin-island republic boasts eight players who have represented the West Indies at the senior level and will be aiming to continue their recent success in regional senior cricket.

Ganga, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons, Sherwin Ganga, Mario Belcon, Denesh Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo are all capable of dominating at this level.

Rayad Emrit, Mervyn Dillon and Ravi Rampaul, all with West Indies experience, will be keen to show that pacers can be successful on pitches here which should be more to the liking of spinners Amit Jaggernauth and Magnum Nanan.

Squads: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (from): Daren Ganga (captain), Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Bravo, Rayad Emrit, Mervyn Dillon, Amit Jaggernauth, Ravi Rampaul, Magnum Nanan, Mario Belcon, Jason Moahmed, Keiron Pollard, Lendl Simmons, Sherwin Ganga, Samuel Badree.

COMBINED CAMPUSES & COLLEGES (from): Shirley Clarke (captain), Omar Phillips, Romel Currency, Jason Parris, Floyd Reifer, Chadwick Walton, Craig Emmanuel, Ramnarine Chattergoon, Jason Bennett, Khismar Catlin, Kavesh Kantasingh, Simon Jackson, Nekolai Charles, Ashley Nurse.

UMPIRES: Eddie Nicholls, Norman Malcolm.