UWI the favourites as Intercol cricket returns

AFTER a year’s absence, the intercollegiate cricket competition is back this season and several of the country’s top and emerging senior players will be in action.

Four teams, 2018 champions The University of West Indies (UWI), The Mico University College, the University of Technology (UTech), and G.C. Foster College of Sports and Physical Education, are the ones that will battle out for the 50 overs title. Two matches are on for today with both set for a 9:30 a.m. start. The UWI will host Mico and UTech will oppose G.C. Foster College.

The 2018 winners are favourites to get off to a winning start as the Roberts Samuels-coached team is the strongest on paper. They will be led by Paul Palmer Jr who is in spanking form following a century recently for the Jamaica Scorpions in their first round away four-day match against Trinidad and Tobago.

Also in the team are Brad Barnes, who is a former West Indies Under-19 player; Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) representatives Sadique Henry and Romaine Morris; along with Kirk McKenzie, who recently did duties for the West Indies Under-19 team in the ICC competition in South Africa.

Mico, who are conditioned by Shane Brooks, will be led by all-rounder Warren Campbell, who was a reserve player for CCC in the Regional Super 50 Overs competition and was one of the top bowlers in the Jamaica Super League competition.

Former high school stars, Clarendon College’s Ricardo McIntosh and André McCarthy of St Elizabeth Technical, who represented the country at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels should also play key roles.

In the other game, G.C. Foster’s coach Gibbs Williams will be relying on pace bowler Ojay Shield who was a member of the CCC team in last year’s Regional Super 50 Overs competition, while former Under-19 player Leroy Lugg will carry the fight for the Terrence Corke-coached UTech team.