ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC—Head coach Kenroy Peters said Windward Islands Volcanoes will try to tick all the right boxes when the West Indies Championship resumes on Wednesday after a two-week break.
The Volcanoes are currently leading the Championship with 62.2 points after resounding wins in their first three matches against Jamaica Scorpions, Barbados Pride, and Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners.
They will face hosts Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at Queen’s Park in Port of Spain in one of the crucial matches of the fourth round. This is one of their most significant tests this season, and it could give a solid signal to the destination of the Headley-Weekes Trophy, a symbol of supremacy in the tournament.
The venue for the match has been a bogey for Volcanoes in the Professional Cricket League era of the Championship, having endured heavy defeats in the two games they have contested there, and how well the visitors come through this challenge will be a true sign of their fortitude.
Peters, the former Volcanoes and West Indies left-arm pacer, and team manager Liam Sebastien were members of the unit a little under ten years ago when the visitors scored their previous win against Red Force at the Oval by a whopping 234 runs—and so too was long-standing batsman Sunil Ambris.
“Our goals right now are simple – it’s not to change much, but to be consistent and try not to be complacent,” Peters told CMC Sportswire on the eve of the match. “Going into a break after winning three games, you can get carried away and think it is over, but teams get stronger as the season progresses.
“Teams will bulk up their sides; some teams have already brought in their experienced players. When you are on top of the table, all the teams you have to play will be coming to challenge you, and we will be looking forward to that.”
He added, “But one thing we must be mindful of is not becoming complacent. We need to take the things we have been doing so far throughout the season and improve them, keep it simple, and take it game by game.
“We must not be too worried about the outcome. What we must be concerned about is the process and making sure that we are doing the good things consistently. We often talk about ticking the boxes—we want to continue doing that.”
Peters praised his side for their commitment in the first three matches of the season, which he said stemmed from the disappointment of finishing runners-up last year and a feeble performance in the West Indies Super50 Cup last November in Trinidad.
“I think the players have done very well in the first three rounds,” he said. Their attitude and commitment to doing better than last year after we came second made them want to push themselves and challenge themselves.
“But what really led up to this was not only the mindset but also the preparation we had after the Super50. We did not play at our best in the Super50, and we felt we let ourselves down, so we decided to intensify our preparations, and the results you saw in the first three rounds are testimony to that.”
He said, “It’s the commitment of the guys. When they train, it has a purpose behind it. You can tell the players want to do well for themselves and the franchise—and they all have a goal to play for West Indies and to contribute to West Indies cricket.
“So, I am pleased that the players are taking advantage of the franchise system and looking to not only better themselves but also see the franchise succeed and contribute to improving West Indies cricket and getting it back on top.”
Only one thing has gnawed away at Peters during his side’s clean sweep of their first three matches, and that is knowing how well they will perform in a real pressure situation. Having blown away their opponents by nine wickets twice and eight wickets twice, it’s been a practically easy ride.
“I would have loved to see the matches go to the fourth day and the last session, and challenging the players so that they could see where they are in that situation and having to put in that last effort when you are mentally, physically, and skillfully tired, and they could see what they are made of,” he said.
Elsewhere, the second-placed Leeward Islands Hurricanes will hope to keep up the pressure on the Volcanoes when they face the Marooners at Frank Worrell Field on the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad.
A ding-dong battle is expected to renew the oldest rivalry in the sport at this level in the Caribbean when fifth-placed five-time defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles meet third-placed Barbados Pride at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
The hosts, Jamaica Scorpions, will be looking to shake off their inconsistency against the Cricket West Indies Academy at Sabina Park in Kingston.
STANDINGS
(After the third round)
(1) Windward Islands Volcanoes 62.2 points
(2) Leeward Islands Hurricanes 45.6
(3) Barbados Pride 43.8
(4) Jamaica Scorpions 29.6
(5) Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 27.6
(6) Guyana Harpy Eagles 26.4
(7) Cricket West Indies Academy 24
(8) Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners 14.6
and then 