Bonus points for Regional Four-Day Tournament

Feb 25, 2014 Sports

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Day/Night matches scheduled for every team

By Sean Devers
The 2014 Regional First-Class cricket season, which will see teams playing six matches each in the preliminary rounds with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals, starts April 19-22 and Guyana face Jamaica in the opening round at Sabina Park from Friday.
The Guyanese will play Day/Night games against Barbados at Providence from March 7-10 and CCC at the 3Ws Oval from March 21-24 in games which will commence at 15:00hrs and which will be played with pink balls.
In 2010 pink balls were used for the first time in West Indies first Class cricket and Guyana opposed Trinidad and Tobago in the inaugural day/night four-day under lights in Antigua. However, the concept was shelved until this year when each team will have two day/night games.
According to the WICB, this year’s Tournament will have batting and bowling bonus points to encourage positive cricket and bigger totals by teams which rarely score 400 plus totals.
Teams will be awarded batting and bowling points for performances in the first 110 overs of each first innings only and retain whatever the result of the match.
A maximum of five batting points will be awarded based on runs scored by each team as follows: 200 to 249 runs (1 point), 250 to 299 runs (2 points), 300 to 349 runs (3 points), 350 to 399 runs (4 points), 400 runs or over (5 points)
A maximum of three bowling points will be awarded to the fielding team for wickets taken.  Three to five wickets taken earns the bowling side one point, six to eight wickets (2 points) and nine to 10 wickets (3 points).
Guyana has won six titles but none since they shared the 1998 crown with the Leeward Islands and teams will compete for two trophies this year. The team that accumulates the most points after the preliminary round matches will be awarded the WICB President’s Trophy and will qualify as one of four teams for the semi-finals. The 2014 Regional First-Class champions will receive the George Headley/Everton Weekes Trophy.
Defending Champions Barbados hold the record for most titles (21), while Jamaica, who hold the record for most consecutive titles, are next on the list with 12 titles although it took 19 years after claiming their first in 1969 to win their second title.
Guyana with six titles (1973, ’75, ’83, ’87, ’93 & ’98) are third with T&T (5), Leeward Islands (4) and Windward Islands are yet to win a First-Class title although they shared one as a part of the Combined Islands in 1981.
Regional four-day Schedule:
ROUND 1: Friday, February 28 to Monday, March 3
Windward Islands vs Barbados – Beausejour Cricket Ground, St. Lucia (3 pm daily)
Jamaica vs Guyana – Sabina Park, Jamaica (10 am daily)
Saturday, March 1 to Tuesday, March 4
Leeward Islands vs Combined Campuses & Colleges – Warner Park, St. Kitts (10 am daily)
ROUND 2: Friday, March 7 to Monday, March 10
Trinidad & Tobago vs Windward Islands – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad (10 am daily)
Guyana vs Barbados – Guyana National Stadium, Guyana (3 pm daily)
Leeward Islands vs Jamaica – Warner Park, St. Kitts (3 pm daily)
ROUND 3: Thursday, March 13 to Sunday, March 16
Guyana vs Windward Islands – Guyana National Stadium (10 am daily)
Friday, March 14 to Monday, March 17
Combined Campuses & Colleges vs Barbados – Three Ws Oval, Barbados (3 pm daily)
Trinidad & Tobago vs Leeward Islands – Queen’s Park Oval (3 pm daily)
ROUND 4: Friday, March 21 to Monday, March 24
Combined Campuses & Colleges vs Guyana – Three Ws Oval (3 pm daily)
Jamaica vs Windward Islands – Sabina Park (10 am daily)
Barbados vs Trinidad & Tobago – Kensington Oval, Barbados (10 am daily)
ROUND 5:
Friday, March 28 to Monday, March 31
Jamaica vs Barbados – Sabina Park (10 am daily)
Trinidad & Tobago vs CCC – Queen’s Park Oval (3 pm daily)
Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – Queen’s Park, Grenada (10 am daily)
Guyana draws bye
ROUND 6: Friday, April 4 to Monday, April 7
Trinidad & Tobago vs Jamaica – Queen’s Park Oval (3 pm daily)
Windward Islands vs Combined Campuses & Colleges – Arnos Vale Multiplex, St. Vincent (10 am daily)
Leeward Islands vs Guyana – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua (10 am daily)
ROUND 7: Friday, April 11 to Monday, April 14
Guyana vs Trinidad & Tobago – Guyana National Stadium (10 am daily)
Leeward Islands vs Barbados – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground (3 pm daily)
Combined Campuses & Colleges vs Jamaica – Three Ws Oval (10 am daily)
SEMIFINALS: Saturday, April 19 to Tuesday, April 22
Semi-final 1: 1st vs 4th – To be hosted in the territory of 1st
Semi-final 2: 2nd vs 3rd – To be hosted in the territory of 2nd
THE FINAL: Friday, April 25 to Monday, April 28
Semi-final 1 qualifier vs Semi-final 2 qualifier – To be hosted by higher placed team from the preliminary round

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