Confident Ja bow into Bowl

By Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor

Samuels, Lawson and Gayle

JAMAICA open their bid for the 2001 Red Stripe Bowl limited-overs title against Northern Windward Islands at Alpart today, and barring what would undoubtedly be a stunning upset, they should be easily one from one when the day is over.

Winners of the Bowl on one occasion in 1999, and along with Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Islands, winners of the regional one-day contest six times and boasting eight players with West Indies experience, Jamaica should be too powerful for a Northern Windward Islands team lacking even one player with such credentials.

On top of that, Jamaica, the Busta International Shield champions, are bubbling with confidence - not only as far as today's David and Goliath matchup is concerned, but also as they look down to the road to the other Zone A matches against the Leeward Islands and Trinidad and Tobago and then to whoever it will be in the semi-finals and the final.

"I am very confident," said captain Robert Samuels yesterday. "Our team is nicely balanced, we have some good and exciting batsmen, a lot of allrounders, a lot of bowlers, and some good ones among them."

Apart from Robert Samuels himself, the batsmen in Jamaica's line-up are Christopher Gayle and Leon Garrick, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels and Ricardo Powell, but as strong as such a line-up is, what makes the captain so confident is the bowling at his command.

"The variety is excellent," boasted Samuels. "We have fast bowlers - really fast bowlers, we have medium-pacers, we have offspinners - a whole lot of them and different types, and we legspin."

The fast bowlers are newcomers Jermaine Lawson and Warren Medwynter; the medium-pacers are newcomer David Bernard Jnr., Laurie Williams and Hinds; the pinners are Gareth Breese and Nehemiah Perry plus Marlon Samuels, Gayle and Powell, and the legspinner is right-hander Brian Murphy.

Such is the strength of Jamaica's 14-man squad that any 11 should be too hot for a team like Northern Windward Islands. Despite the odds against them, however, the Northern Windward Islands, are not terrified. In fact, according to manager Rupert Polius and captain John Eugene, their chances of defeating Jamaica, of winning the title, are as good as any.

"I think our chances are good," said Polius yesterday. "We have some good young players - and they are determined to do well."

"Yes," said Eugene. "We are as good as any of the other teams, the guys are well prepared, and you will see."

Eugene, once considered a West Indies prospect, is an experienced batsman, so too are Balty Watt and opener Alton Crafton, and Wayne Phillip, the standby on the West Indies tour of England last year, is a good wicketkeeper.

For the Northern Windward Islands to upset Jamaica, however, for them to make an impression in the tournament, they will need support for those four.

Apart from Shane Shillingford - the young offspinner who routed Jamaica for 175 with figures of seven for 67 during the Busta Cup match at Sabina Park in January, among the players Polius and Eugene are hoping will rise to the occasion and deliver are pacers Fernis Thomas, Wendell Roberts and Darren Sammy, and batsmen Sergio Fedee, Gaspard Prosper and Liam Sebastien - the son of former opening batsman Lockhart Sebastien.

The squads: Jamaica - Robert Samuels - captain, Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Leon Garrick, Keith Hibbert, Nehemiah perry, gareth Breese, Ricardo Powell, Laurie Williams, David Bernard Jnr., Jermaine Lawson, Warren Medwynter, Brian Murphy.

Northern Windward Islands - John Eugene - captain, Greg Wilson, Alton Crafton, Sergio Fedee, Gaspard Prosper, Wendell Roberts, Darren Sammy, Balty Watt, Kirsen Casimir, wayne Phillip, Liam Sebastien, Shane Shillingford, Fernix Thomas, Cosier Charles.

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