BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago will be eyeing semi-final spots when the seventh and final round of matches in the Regional Four-Day Championship bowls off today. The Barbadians will face Windward Islands at the Grenada National Stadium while T&T come up against the hapless Leeward Islands who are bottom of the tables and have no chance of reaching the final four.
Barbados took a huge stride towards the semis last weekend when they crushed the Leewards by an innings at Kensington Oval, and will also fancy their chances against the erratic Windwards.
However, they will be without all-rounder Dwayne Smith whose abilities with bat and ball was a determining factor in their win against the Leewards. They will welcome back captain Kirk Edwards who missed the last two rounds with injury.
The Windwards, meanwhile, fifth on 28 points, can also qualify but will need to pull off a victory and gain full points.
They did themselves no harm in sneaking a 22-run win over Combined Campuses and Colleges last week in Grenada.
At Warner Park in St Kitts, T&T will be favoured to beat the Leewards but will have to do so without the services of inspirational opener Adrian Barath who has been called up to West Indies duty for the last two One-Day Internationals against Australia. Already without leading wicket-taker Sunil Narine and a string of other first-team players, T&T could find the tie a tricky one, especially with the Leewards having nothing to lose.
At the 3Ws Oval in Barbados, CCC and Jamaica will contest a game of academic interest. CCC, second from last on 16 points, have no chance of a final four spot and Jamaica, at the top on 60 points, cannot be overtaken even if they lose.
Guyana, second on 39 points, will sit out this round with a bye but will be waiting anxiously to see the results before knowing if they are safely into the penultimate phase of the competition.
