Jamaica and Meadowbrook High fast bowler, Jermaine Cole, and his teammate, Charlemont High wicketkeeper-batsman Kemar Marshall, celebrate the wicket of Guyana's Trevon Griffith (centre) in TCL Group WICB U-19 one-day action at Melbourne Oval yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
It should be a battle royal when leaders Jamaica and third-place Barbados square off at Sabina Park today in the final round of the TCL Group WICB U-19 one-day trophy.
Jamaica, who earlier in the season won the three-day championship, and are seeking to do what no other Under-19 team before them has done - cop the coveted double - will enter the match needing a victory to secure their place in history.
Barbados, in the meantime, stand an outside but realistic chance of sneaking first place, but will need to record a convincing win, and hope that out-of-contention Guyana surprise second-place Trinidad and Tobago at Elletson Road.
Jamaica, who recorded a massive 206-run win over Guyana at Melbourne Oval yesterday, lead the six-team championship with maximum 16 points, four more than Trinidad and Barbados.
Guyana and the Leewards, four points, and the Windwards, zero, round out the table. Four points are awarded for a victory, two for a tie and one for a no-result.
Should Jamaica fail to defeat Barbados, and Trinidad, as expected, beat Guyana, all three teams would end on 16 points, thus sending the championship to a tie-breaker.
The first tie-breaker is the head-to-head clash between two teams, followed by the average net run rate of each team. Each team's average net run rate is calculated by taking away average runs scored for from average runs scored against.
Jamaica, at present, have a net run rate of 2.11, Barbados, 0.43, and Trinidad, 0.81.
The Leewards and the Windwards will play at Up Park Camp in the day's other fixture.
"It should be an interesting final game," said Jamaica's coach Andre Coley after Jamaica's win yesterday, which ended an hour before the scheduled end of play with Guyana being dismissed for 99 off 23 overs in reply to Jamaica's 306-9 off 50.
Man-of-the-Match
In yesterday's game, Holmwood Technical's Jermaine Blackwood claimed the Man-of-the-Match award after taking 5-30 with his off spin as Jamaica, buoyed by a decent gathering, steamrolled their opponents.
Meadowbrook High fast bowler Jermaine Cole, 3-29, and Kingston College leg-spinner Akeem Dewar, 2-11, claimed the other wickets to fall. Jeetendra Sookdeo with a 50-ball 43 topscored for the Guyanese.
Earlier, when Jamaica batted, stand-in wicketkeeper and Charlemont High batsman, Kemar Marshall, with an entertaining 70, Excelsior High's Ramon Senior 63, and Dewar, a well-composed 60 not out, top-scored for Jamaica, who recovered from 170-6 to their landmark.
In other results, Barbados defeated the Leewards by seven wickets at Jamalco and Trinidad and Tobago got the better of the Windwards at Chedwin Park.