Red Force bowl off Four Day campaign

The four-day match will be a day/night affair, scheduled to begin at 3 pm each day.

Last season, the Red Force endured a disappointing campaign and finished fourth in the six-team standings with 81 points, while the Volcanoes placed fifth with 64.

But the Volcanoes have been in a fine run of form against the Red Force lately, with five wins in their last seven meetings, including the last three contests here in Trinidad.

Red Force captain Yannick Ottley is eyeing a top two spot for his squad this season.

“Our preparation has been good,” he said. “It’s just for us to go out and execute and do well for our fans. I know we can challenge for the top two spots this season.” Asked about reversing the recent fortunes against Volcanoes, the 25-year-old Ottley replied, “those last games are in the past. It’s a new game, a new season. We’re hoping to start off well on our home court on the Oval.” The right-handed batsman and occasional left-arm spinner took over from Jason Mohammed as captain during the latter stages of the 2015-2016 season. “I’m very grateful,” he said.

“I did a couple games last year. I got a lot of respect from the guys and they appreciate me.” The Volcanoes skipper Liam Sebastien pointed out, “we have been putting in a lot of sessions. We had a short tour of Antigua where we had some games played. We have been doing a lot of work to try to improve on the performance last year.” Admitting that the batting affected the team’s display in the 2015-2016 season, Sebastien is not putting too much into the team’s recent unbeaten streak against the Red Force.

“What is more important is that we get off to a winning start,” said the 32-yearold left-handed batsman and off-spinner.

“We have been doing well over Trinidad over the past couple of years but it’s a new tournament, a new game, a new season, as well as a day/ night fixture. So we’re not really placing too many emphasis on having beaten Trinidad over the past couple seasons. What we’re trying to do is get off to a good start.” Squads: RED FORCE (from): Yannick Ottley (captain), Yannic Cariah, Sheldon Cottrell, Jyd Goolie, Kyle Hope, Jon-Russ Jagessar, Steven Katwaroo, Imran Khan, Jason Mohammed, Khary Pierre, Roshon Primus, Marlon Richards, Jeremy Solozano.

VOLCANOES (from): Liam Sebastien (captain), Sunil Ambris, Narsingh Deonarine, Tarryck Gabriel, Kavem Hodge, Delorn Johnson, Mervin Matthew, Kenroy Peters, Jerlani Robinson, Shane Shillingford, Devon Smith, Tyrone Theophile, Kyle Mayers.