Champs Parkites field big guns in 50-Overs

Champs Parkites field big guns in 50-Overs
Friday, January 29 2016



TOP CLASS club cricket will return this weekend when the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board’s 50-Overs competition in Premier Divisions One and Two, bowls off on Saturday with defending champions Queen’s Park and FCB Clarke Road featuring in the marquee fixture of the day.

The Parkites are expected to field a star-studded line-up when they travel to Wilson Road, Penal with the inclusion of star West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago batsman Darren Bravo, and his elder brother Dwayne, just back from the Australia Big Bash T20.

All eyes will also be on world rated T20 spinner Sunil Narine who though banned by the ICC and West Indies Cricket Board for a suspect bowling action has been allowed by the TT CB to bowl as he is pursuing rehabilitative work to correct the fault.

The Tragarete Road, Port-of- Spain outfit will also be boosted by national all-rounder Akeal Hosein and new signing Nicholas Pooran, who is making a return to club cricket after a lay-off because of injury.

Others matches which will generate great interest on Saturday involves PowerGen, who play Jenexcon Tableland and also boasts a formidable line-up with TT Red Force captain Jason Mohammed at the helm.

Mohammed recently led the national team to victory in the Nagico Super50 regional tournament and will be teaming up with another world rated T20 spinner Samuel Badree, also back from the Big Bash T20, and explosive Red Force opening batsman Evin Lewis.

Victoria play newly promoted TT Prisons Service and Merryboys come up against Comets at Pierre Road in Charlieville in the other Premier One matches.

This year, the TT CB, in keeping with their effort to continuously improve their national competitions has implemented revised regulations and also a new Code of Conduct to be implemented for all matches.

At a meeting of all National League and championship clubs held on Wednesday at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva all club representatives were given the opportunity the raise their concerns about the regulations governing the 50-Overs competition as well as the Code of Conduct and disciplinary measures to be introduced this season.

Well-known and highly respected umpire Peter Nero and WICB Match Referee Michael Ragoonath went through the Regulations and the Code of Conduct Rules in detail and addressed all queries.

Chairman of the National League, Patrick Rampersad, impressed upon the clubs the need to embrace the changes. “This is in keeping with the mandate of the TT CB to improve the overall development of all players and officials who are involved in competitions under the ambit of the TT CB and this will certainly redound to the improvement of our national cricket competitions,’’ he said.

Rampersad indicated that the board has invested heavily in training officials and for the first time all 16 fixtures being played in the Premier Division 1 and 2 will have TT CB-appointed Match Referees, operating in a similar manner to regional and international cricket.

Matches in the TT CB’s 50-Overs competition will continue on Sunday with Queen’s Park vs Prisons at the Oval; Victoria vs PowerGen at Victoria; Jenexcon Tableland vs Merryboys in Tableland; and FCB Clarke Road vs Alescon Comets at Wilson Road.