B/dos, J/ca final pushed back

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, MC – Jamaica and Barbados will have to wait one week before they can meet in the Final of the Regional 4-Day Tournament.

The West Indies Cricket Board announced yesterday that the Jamaicans will now face the Barbadians in the Final from April 13 to  April 16 at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica.

“The Final, originally scheduled to start this coming Saturday, was postponed after the Jamaica Cricket Association informed the WICB that Sabina Park was unavailable due to a previously booked engagement,” said a media release from the regional governing body. The two teams reached the Final, following crushing victories in the semi-finals last weekend against long-standing rivals.

The Jamaicans beat Guyana by 133 runs at Sabina Park, and the Barbadians defeated arch-rivals Trinidad & Tobago by 227 runs at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Jamaica are seeking to become the first regional territory to solely win five straight titles in the history of the modern Regional 4-Day Tournament, which dates back to 1966.

It would be Jamaica’s 11th Regional 4-Day title overall, second only to Barbados, the most successful side in the Regional 4-Day Tournament with an unmatched 20 titles.

So it is fitting that they face Barbados, who also hold the record of four straight between 1977 and 1980, although this can be stretched to five, when considering they shared the title with T&T in 1976.

The two sides are playing for the Headley/Weekes Trophy, which is named after two icons of the game in their nations. The late George Headley was the first true West Indies batting hero, starring with the willow between the 1930s and 1940s, when he was dubbed “Atlas” because it was felt he carried the fortunes of the West Indies batting on his back. Now aged 87, the evergreen Sir Everton Weekes is the only surviving member of the famous West Indies batting triumvirate of the 1950s that also included compatriots Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Frank Worrell, affectionately known as the Three Ws.