Miller, Bernard Jr in Senior Cup face-off

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

National players, in-form spinner Nikita Miller and all-rounder David Bernard Jr will this weekend face-off when their respective clubs, Melbourne and Kensington, meet in one of three feature matches in the opening round of the two-day Jamaica Cricket Association Senior Cup at Kensington Park.

"We have a good set of young players who want to do well for themselves, and what I hope to do as a senior player is to provide guidance," said Miller, who finished as the leading wicketkeeper in the just-concluded West Indies Cricket Board Four-Day Tournament.

"It will not be an easy match with Kensington playing at home but we will be giving it our best shot, which we hope will be enough to bring us through," he added.

Among the young players in Melbourne's line-up are sidelined national Super50 batsman Yannick Elliott, André McCarthy and all-rounder Damion Jacobs.

Kensington, meanwhile, will, in addition to Bernard Jr, look to national wicketkeeper-batsman Horace Miller, Ryan Francis, Ranville Brown and Brian Clarke.

"It's always a tight match between Melbourne and Kensington as we are traditional rivals, and I expect this one to be no different," said technical director, David Bernard Sr.

Young, confident team

"We have a young team, but at the same time we have Bernard Jr and Horace Miller, and as such should give a good account of ourselves."

In other matches, Trelawny will host Jermaine Blackwood and Kennar Lewis' Hanover at the Trelawny Stadium, St Catherine with Tamar Lambert and Odean Brown will play away to Clarendon at Jamalco Sports Club, G.C. Foster will welcome Kingston and St Andrew at G.C. Foster, four-time defending champions Manchester versus St Catherine Cricket Association at the Spanish Town Prison Oval and last year's beaten finalists St Elizabeth entertain St James at Manley Horne Park.

Also scheduled are St Ann with Xavier Marshall versus Police at Kaiser Sports Club, St Mary against Portland at Folly Oval while Lucas will square off at Sabina Park against Kingston and Boys' Town entertain St Thomas at Boys' Town.