File photos
LEFT: Lara ... likely to play for T&T. RIGHT: Floyd Reifer ... is expected to lead the CCC team.
Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport
THIS YEAR'S Carib Beer Series is basically a competition of two halves. The first phase of the regional four-day tournament, which starts on Friday, features three rounds and ends on January 21.
With the best West Indian players in action in South Africa, phase one will provide an opportunity for the lesser teams to make a mark against the so-called 'big' sides as the playing field will level out considerably.
Jamaica have been particularly hard hit by international commitments with five front-line players away in Africa.
The West Indian players will return to the Caribbean in time for Mr. Sanford's lucrative Twenty20 tournament in Antigua and then will have no excuse for not turning out for the final three rounds of the Carib Beer Series, which resumes on February 29.
The oft-tampered with format has been tweaked again this year with the inclusion of the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) side, which will be led by evergreen Barbadian Floyd Reifer.
While organisers argue that the inclusion of the CCC team provides first-class exposure to some young, promising players, it also waters down an initially weak field to start with CCC could pull off a surprise in the early going when the big boys return, they should offer little more than easy points.
It's also hard to see the Leewards and Windwards making legitimate charges at the Cup either due to paucities of depth.
Barbados have been a team in flux recently. They have undoubted bowling prowess, when at full strength, in new skipper Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Pedro Collins, Tino Best and Sulieman Benn but the batting looks thin.
Guyana have a young and well-rounded side but much of their hopes will depend on the fickle fitness of skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan and the form Shivnarine Chanderpaul brings back from South Africa.
Regional duty
Trinidad and Tobago look the most intriguing side in the competition with Brian Lara apparently making himself available for regional duty after completing his Twenty20 commitments in India.
While cynics may say he's merely using the Series as a warm-up to chase Mr. Stanford's bucks and will probably disappear before the second phase of the competition begins, any time Lara puts on the pads in the Caribbean, it's good for the game and the fans.
Test players Daren Ganga and Denesh Ramdin should return to boost a strong squad which includes Mervyn Dillon, Dave Mohammed, Lendl Simmons, Sherwin Ganga, Kieron Pollard and Richard Kelly.
The greatest challenge to T&T should come from Jamaica, provided the team can stay in contention until skipper Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Brenton Parchment, Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor return from SA.
Fortunately, their first three games are at home and there is a good amount of depth in stand-in skipper Tamar Lambert's squad including un-suspended former captain Wavell Hinds and out-of-favour Test players Jermaine Lawson, Carlton Baugh and David Bernard.
When the Cup final starts on April 24, don't be surprised if it's Trinidad and Tobago battling Jamaica for the crown.
TEAM PROFILES
GUYANATITLES: Six
DESPITE BEING without the services of veteran bat Shivnarine Chanderpaul and maybe oft-injured skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan for the early rounds of the Cup, Guyana have the depth and experience to make a run at their first regional four-day crown in a decade.
Back in 1997-1998, the South American/Caribbean side shared the spoils with the Leeward Islands and would love to celebrate that anniversary by grabbing some overdue silverware.
While the selectors found no place in their preliminary 20-man squad for seasoned campaigners Mahendra Nagamootoo and Neil McGarrell, with the likes of Travis Dowlin, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Sarwan (if fit), Narsingh Deonarine, Derwin Christian and Esaun Crandon, there's still plenty of talent in the line-u the bowling ranks look a little thin - particularly for the second phase of the tournament when the Test players return for action.
PLAYER TO WATCH: He's as brittle as a papadum, but all eyes will be on sidelined West Indian skipper Sarwan when he takes the field for Guyana. The little right-hander is an exciting match-winner but most fans in the region will be paying more attention to his fitness rather than form with home Test series against Sri Lanka and Australia on the horizon.
- T.G.
BARBADOSTITLES: 19
THE DEFENDING Cup champions will miss Test bowlers Fidel Edwards and Pedro Collins in the early stages of the competition but their schedule is pretty soft.
In the opening three rounds, they play the Windwards (away), Guyana (home) and Combined Campuses and Colleges (home).
Under the leadership of new skipper Corey Collymore, and with the likes of Dwayne Smith, Tino Best, Sulieman Benn and Ryan Hinds to call upon, the Bajans should be aiming for at least two wins from the first phase of the competition and a prime position heading into the tougher, back-end of the Cup.
The Barbados team has been in some disarray of late and the batting line-up doesn't send too many scares through opponents nowadays but, with a full-strength bowling attack available in the latter stages, back-to-back titles would not be out of the question for the region's most successful country.
PLAYER TO WATCH: You never quite know what you are going to get with erratic paceman Best. On his day, he's as quick and devastating as any bowler in the region. However, those days are too few and far between and time may be expiring on his international dreams.
- T.G.
JAMAICATITLES: Seven
NO TEAM is affected more by Test duties than Jamaica, who have five key players in South Africa - captain Chris Gayle, batsmen Marlon Samuels and Brenton Parchment and the pace pair of Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor.
However, on the plus side, Jamaica's first three games are at home - against the Leewards, the CCC and Guyana.
Coach Junior Bennett is going to have to do some major shuffling of the side but there is a fair amount of depth to work with.
Stand-in skipper Tamar Lambert and former captain Wavell Hinds should provide the backbone of a batting line-up which could also feature Keith Hibbert - as an opener, Danza Hyatt, Shawn Findlay, Xavier Marshall and keeper/batsman Carlton Baugh.
Jermaine Lawson and Andrew Richardson will probably provide the pace firepower with support from spinner Nikita Miller and possibly all-rounders Brendan Nash and David Bernard.
Some solid results at home would leave Jamaica well placed for a charge towards the title in the second phase of the Cup.
PLAYER TO WATCH: It's getting close to make-or-break time now for paceman Lawson. His action has been probed on a number of occasions and that seems to have placed him in limbo with the WI selectors. A good Cup campaign would put him back in the reckoning for a place on the international stage.
- T.G.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGOTITLES: Five
FORMER WEST Indies captain Brian Lara, it is said, will represent Trinidad and Tobago this season. Lara, who has not played regional cricket for over a year now, has just returned from India where he played in the Indian Cricket League.
With Lara, who played 259 first-class matches, scoring 21,971 runs at 51.57, 64 centuries and 87 half centuries, T&T should fancy their chances.
To make things even better, unlike Jamaica, who will play three matches without five West Indies players, Trinidad and Tobago, who drew a bye in the second round, will have only two matches before their Test players, Daren Ganga and Denesh Ramdin, return.
T&T's line-up should include two useful spinners in Dave Mohammed, who has represented the West Indies in five Tests, and Amit Jaggernauth, who many believe was unlucky not to be in South Africa.
The twin-island republic also boasts the experienced Mervyn Dillon and Lendl Simmons, both who have represented the West Indies. Dillion should lead the fast bowling department which includes Rayad Emrit, Richard Kelly and Simmons, who is also a fairly good batsman.
Sherwin Ganga, the younger brother of Daren, Kieron Pollard and Samuel Badree should lead the batting.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Apart from Lara, last year's top spinner Amit Jaggernauth, who ended the season with the second most wickets, but was unable to make the West Indies team, despite several calls from cricket experts for his inclusion, should have a lot to prove.
This season, Jaggernauth, who has played 29 first-class matches with 116 wickets at an average 23.51, should continue from where he left off last year. He picked up 30 wickets last year at 21.93.
- A.F.
LEEWARD ISLANDSTITLES: Four
APART FROM Runako Morton, the lone Leeward Islander on the West Indies team, Sylvester Joseph and Wilden Cornwall look certain to be missing from the team's opening-round matches.Joseph, who has played five Tests and 13 one-day internationals for the West Indies, announced he would be taking a break from cricket to contemplate his future but it was not clear if his omission is in keeping with that decision.
Joseph and all-rounder Cornwall, members of the Stanford Antigua Pro Team, did not play in the just-concluded subregional tournament.
With those top players out, ex-Test players off-spinning all-rounder Omari Banks and fast bowler Adam Sanford should lead the bowling with support from A-team fast medium bowler Gavin Tonge and West Indies one-day international batsman Austin Richards Jr. Former Windies youth players off-spinner Chaka Hodge and seamer Lionel Baker should also add to the bowling. Shane Jeffers, Richards, Tonito Willett and Kieran Powell should lead the team's batting.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Apart from Morton and Banks, Shane Jeffers could be the trump card for the Leewards this season. Jeffers has, between 2003 and the present, played 39 first-class matches for the Leewards, scoring 1,917 runs at 28.19, which includes one century and 14 fifties.
- A.F.
WINDWARD ISLANDSTITLE: One, playing as the Combined Islands
STILL WITHOUT a title at the regional first-class level, the Windward Islands, with Rawl Lewis, Darren Sammy and Devon Smith away, will once again enter the fray against the odds.
Deighton Bulter, a former West Indies representative, along with Liam Sebastien and Mervin Matthews, will have to pull out all stocks if they are to upset anyone this season. Off-spinner Shane Shillingford has also been around for some time and, again, is expected to do well with the ball.
Andre Fletcher, Lindon James, Mervin Matthew and Miles Bascombe are the team's other experienced players.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Sebastien has been around for some time now; however, the 23-year-old Dominican is yet to show the promise he displayed during his youth days. In 14 first-class matches, Sebastien has only 402 runs and 16 wickets to his credit.
Again, Sebastien, whose unbeaten century (101) helped Dominica beat Grenada by 66 runs to win the Windward Islands limited-over cricket championship last week, was given another chance by the Windward Islands' selectors and this year could be the season he finally breaks out.
- A.F.
COMBINED CAMPUSES AND COLLEGESTITLES: None
IF THE CCC remain the same as in their KFC Cup campaign, the surely will not start as the last-ranked team.
Floyd Reifer, who scored a century when the CCC took part in the KFC Cup, Jason Bennett and Jason Paris, if they return, should do enough to put them ahead of the Windwards at the end of the season.
Shirley Clarke, who captained the team then, Romel Currency and Craig Emmanuel are also useful players.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Jason Bennett, who had a couple good seasons for Barbados in the absence of top players, should want to play well in front of the regional selectors.
Bennett, who also played for the West Indies B and in one season picked up more than 20 wickets, has played 19 first-class matches, picking up 80 wickets. Now, the 25-year-old pacer would want to use this tournament to demonstrate his ability.
- A.F.
SCHEDULE
Round 1 - January 4-7: Jamaica vs Leeward Islands
Sabina Park, Jamaica
Windward Islands vs Barbados
Arnos Vale, St. Vincent
Trinidad and Tobago vs Guyana
Guaracara Park, Trinidad
Round 2 - January 11-14 : Barbados vs Guyana
Kensington Oval, Barbados
Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands National Stadium, Grenada
Jamaica vs Combined Campuses and Colleges
Kensington, Jamaica
Round 3 - January 18-21: Jamaica vs Guyana
Sabina Park, Jamaica
Combined Campuses and Colleges vs Barbados
3Ws Oval, Barbados
Leeward Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago
Carib Lumber Park, St. Maarten
Round 4 - February 29-March 3: Trinidad & Tobago vs Jamaica
NCC Trinidad
Leeward Islands vs Barbados
Salem Park, Montserrat
Windward Islands vs Combined Campuses and Colleges
Beausejour Stadium, St. Lucia
Round 5 - March 7-10: Guyana vs Combined Campuses and Colleges
Albion, Guyana
Windward Islands vs Trinidad and Tobago Windsor Park, Dominica
Barbados vs Jamaica
Kensington Oval, Barbados
Round 6 - March 14-17: Jamaica vs Windward Islands
To be announced, Jamaica
Leeward Islands vs Guyana
Adelina Cancryn, St. Thomas
Combined Campuses and Colleges vs Trinidad and Tobago
3Ws Oval, Barbados
Round 7 - March 28-31: Trinidad and Tobago vs Barbados
Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad
Guyana vs Windward Islands
Providence, Guyana
Leeward Islands vs Combined Campuses & Colleges
Grove Park, Nevis
Final - April 24-28
HONOUR ROLL
Shell Shield
1965-66: Barbados
1966-67: Barbados
1967-68: No competition
1968-69: Jamaica
1969-70: Trinidad
1970-71: Trinidad
1971-72: Barbados
1972-73: Guyana
1973-74: Barbados
1974-75: Guyana
1975-76: Trinidad/Barbados
1976-77: Barbados
1977-78: Barbados
1978-79: Barbados
1979-80: Barbados
1980-81: Combined Islands
1981-82: Barbados
1982-83: Guyana
1983-84: Barbados
1984-85: Trinidad & Tobago
1985-86: Barbados
1986-87: Guyana
Red Stripe Cup
1987-88: Jamaica
1988-89: Jamaica
1989-90: Leeward Islands
1990-91: Barbados
1991-92: Jamaica
1992-93: Guyana
1993-94: Leeward Islands
1994-95: Barbados
1995-96: Leeward Islands
1996-97: Barbados
President's Cup
1997-98: Leeward Islands/Guyana
Busta Cup
1998-99: Barbados
1999-00: Jamaica
2000-01: Barbados
2001-02: Jamaica
Carib Beer Cup
2002-03: Barbados
2003-04: Barbados
2004-05: Jamaica
2005-06: Trinidad and Tobago
2006-07: Barbados
