Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
THE SUPREME Ventures Super Cup competition enters its ninth round today and with three teams still in the hunt for the Michael Holding Trophy and the $500,000 first prize, with two teams battling for a place in the semi-finals of the Challenge Trophy and a chance to take home the $500,000 winners prize, and with two teams fighting to avoid relegation, it promises to be an interesting and possibly exciting weekend of cricket.
After eight rounds, St. Catherine CC, on 33 points, and defending champions Manchester and Kingston CC, on 31 points each, are locked in a three-way contest for the title, with all three teams heading for the semi-finals of the Challenge Trophy.
Melbourne, on 24 points, and St. Elizabeth, on 23, are fighting for the fourth spot, and with Portland, on six points and already heading back to
the Red Stripe Championship, Westmoreland, on 12 points, and St. Mary, on seven, are battling for survival.
GOOD BET
After dropping first innings points to Kingston in the first round, St. Catherine recovered to beat Manchester and Lucas in rounds two and three to take the lead, and despite dropping first innings points to Melbourne and to Westmoreland in two closely contested matches in rounds six and seven have been in the lead since and seem a good bet to stay the course and to win the title.
Two points in front of the other contenders, St. Catherine could end up short if they manage only first innings points this weekend, and Manchester or Kingston can come away with victory.
The problem facing Manchester and Kingston, however, the reason why one seem destined to finish second and the other third, is that while St. Catherine are up against the disappointing Jamaica Defence Force and should - with batsmen Danza Hyatt and Tamar Lambert, pacers Jermaine Lawson and Oneil Richards and spinners Bevan Brown and Odean Brown in their line-up - pick up at least first innings points, they are up against each other in a match in which one is unlikely, very unlikely, to defeat the other and secure the maximum six points which they will need if St. Catherine only pick up first innings points.
After looking set to challenge for the title one round ago, Melbourne went to Alpart, they were beaten by St. Elizabeth, and now find themselves not in a fight for the honours but in a battle, with St. Elizabeth, for survival.
Unlike Manchester and Kingston, however, with bottom-placed Portland as their opposition, with St. Elizabeth up against Westmoreland, who led both Melbourne and St. Catherine on first innings and who are playing at home, Melbourne, even though they are without top batsman Marlon Samuels, are in a good position to hang on to fourth-place and to qualify for the semi-finals.
FIGHTING
At the bottom end of the standings, Westmoreland and St. Mary are fighting to stay in the big league, and although the odds favour Westmoreland who boast a five-point lead, St. Mary, winners on first innings when the two teams met on March 18 and 19, are in with a chance.
Although it seems unlikely, victory for St. Mary over Lucas would leave them on 13 points, if Westmoreland lose first innings points to St. Elizabeth that would leave them on 13 points also, and based on the March result, that would mean that Westmoreland would be the team, along with Portland, to go down.
It looks like it will be St. Catherine for the title, Melbourne for the fourth spot, and that Westmoreland will survive the drop.
With Melbourne winning first innings lead over the top three teams but fighting for a place in the semi-finals after falling to St. Elizabeth, however, with St. Catherine dropping first innings points to Kingston, Melbourne and Westmoreland but in the lead, and with Kingston, at one stage in their second innings at Alpart, on four runs for six wickets and fighting for survival against St. Elizabeth and now in the hunt, it has been an interesting competition so far - so interesting that one of St. Catherine, Melbourne and Westmoreland may be in for a surprise.
