BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (CMC):Team-of-the-moment Jamaica are banking on an outright win against struggling Windward Islands to place themselves in line for championship honours in the 2007 TCL West Indies Under-19 Challenge series.
Their fifth and final round clash starts at Molineaux today and the Jamaicans are three points adrift of tournament leaders Guyana, whom they crushed by an innings and 50 runs in an awesome performance this week that left their management team pleased.
"We started the fourth round in second place bu we were in second place we were 15 points off the pace. To have covered ground to the point where we are just three points off, we are very confident of making a serious bid," Jamaica's team manager Fritz Harris told CMC Sports yesterday.
Mathematically, four teams are in with a chance of winning the title - leaders Guyana on 30 points, Jamaica on 27, and T&T and Barbados with 21 each.
The Jamaicans are the only team in the top frame with an unbeaten record in this year's tournament.
If they beat the Windwards and Guyana fail to take full points from Barbados in their final round game, Jamaica will lift their eighth title.
The Jamaicans would still win if Barbados beat Guyana outright and the Jamaicans only get first innings points from the Windwards.
Ninth title
If, however, Jamaica lose outright and Barbados clinch full points, Barbados will capture their ninth title and first since 2002.
T&T would win their ninth title if they win outright againstthe Leewards, the Jamaicans lose outright and Barbados take first innings points from Guyana.
If Jamaica take first innings points and Guyana lose first innings points, Jamaica will win. There are several other scenarios that could provide a winner and Harris is hoping for the best.
"Our mindset is a very positive one. Our aim is to win the game outright and if results elsewhere go our way, at the end of the day we could be all smiles," he said.
The Windwards are bottom of the table with nine points but Harris says their opponents' weak position in the standings is not a factor they are focusing on.
He believes the Windwards have shown themselves to be a dangerous side at all times, regardless of current form.
"The last completed game we had against this team (the Windwards), they won and that was in a year that Jamaica won the tournament; our only loss was to them," Harris stated.
"We see this team as one you could call them a nemesis of ours and we really want to go into this game focused and try to get a good result against them. We are not taking them lightly at all," Harris added.
The Windwards lost to Barbados and Guyana in their first two games before earning draws against the Leewards and Trinidad and Tobago.
Prior to their win against Guyana, the Jamaicans had drawn all their games.
