Maxwell and PHD St John Cultural will begin their battle for the Barbados Cricket Association’s Second Division title today at the LIME Sports Club, Wildey, from 12:30 p.m.
Both teams reached the three-day final by virtue of first innings lead in drawn semi-finals.
The St John Cultural batting will revolve around 20-year-old left-handed opener Jonathan Holder, who hit two half-centuries in the semi-finals against Ince Transport MTW, former Barbados batsman Horace Waldron and Richard Young.
Maxwell’s key man will be former BCL all-rounder Winston Herbert. He will receive support from the likes of Winston Haynes, former Barbados volleyball captain John Stuart, Ian Freeman and Roger Burke.
Oldstager Hugh “Gun” Cummins is still around, delivering his left-arm spin while one-time former Barbados opener Geoffrey Mapp is another player, who can make an impact with his solid batting and legspin bowling. Other useful players are off-spinner Chester Yarde, batsman Rikki Clarke and all-rounder Roland McConney.
St John Cultural have a good new ball pair in six-footer Lamar Mayers, who had a seven-wicket first innings haul against MTW and the experienced Rodney “Ratler” Gittens.
There are also veterans Oneal Padmore and Frank Skeete, who can still weigh in with bat and ball.
Meanwhile, in the Intermediate semi-finals, both Rocklyn Hardware Isolation Cavaliers and Old Brigand Dover will be looking to bat on and post challenging first innings totals against ICBL Empire and LIME at Friendship and Pine Basin, respectively.
Isolation Cavaliers were piloted to a healthy first day total of 254 for two by a superb 173 from former Barbados batsman Dale Richards, who featured in a double-century second-wicket stand with Reneldo Holder.
Holder, 67 not out, will be looking to carry on for a century and see the Lakes, St Andrew-based side past the 300-mark against an Empire side, which includes former?Barbados batsman Jason Parris.
Dover also batted the entire day for 178 for seven and will be hoping that former Barbados and West Indies “B” team all-rounder Vibert Greene (36 not out) can see them past the 200-run mark.
