St Catherine, JDF meet in Senior Cup feature

One-day title-holders St Catherine CC and dethroned two-day champions Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) will do battle in the feature quarter final match of the two-day Jamaica Cricket Association Senior Cup at Melbourne Oval, starting today.

The JDF will enter the contest as favourites. The army men, who lost out at the semi-final stage last year to eventual winners Melbourne, will be hoping for inspired performances from their national representatives.

This includes out-of-favour West Indies fast-bowler Sheldon Cottrell, returning from injury fast bowler Reynard Leveridge, opener Jermaine Harrison, and the tournament's leading wicket taker, left-arm wrist spinner Dennis Bulli, who has so far claimed 36 wickets.

St Catherine, in the meantime, are set to have in their line-up the tournament's second-highest runs-getter, out-of-favour national opener Kennar Lewis, who has 281 runs, and national batsman, Oraine Williams.

Full strength

"We should be at full strength with just Leveridge pending at the moment as a result of an injury. But other than that, everybody is fit and ready for the match- up,'' expressed senior JDF batsman Rasheed Outar.

''I think man-for-man we are better than them, and it is just for us to approach the game positive and for at least first innings honours given that the weather forecast is not so good,'' he added.

Milton Thomas, the coach of St Catherine, while optimistic, expressed the need for his team's largely second choice players to come good given that a number of their first-choice are overseas.

'"We have had to be battling all season to get here having lost several of our players to overseas leagues,'' said Thomas.

St Catherine will be without regular starters, captain batsman Danza Hyatt, all-rounders Gavin Wallace and Peat Salmon, wicketkeeper Darnell McCallum, spinner Andre Brown, and fast bowler, Brian Buchanan.