BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Defending champions Guyana and title-hunting Barbados will meet in the feature attraction in Round Three of TCL Group West Indies Cricket Challenge at BET starting today, while Jamaica, fourth in the standings, will battle bottom-of-the-table Windward Islands at the Kensington Oval.

Even though they are fourth, on 10 points, the Jamaicans still have a chance of winning the championship - a position that will be boosted significantly if they win this encounter against the last-place team in the six-nation round-robin series.

The result of the top-of-the-table clash will give a clearer indication as to where the championship title could be heading.

The Guyanese lead the six-team-standings with a maximum 24 points - six ahead of Barbados - through a pair of outright wins, first against the Leeward Islands in the opener at Kensington Oval and then a fine come-from-behind win against the Windward Islands at Combermere High School.

Face-saving 70 runs

After going under on first innings against the Windwards, Guyana - under the inspired leadership of skipper Eugene La Fleur - defeated their opponents by 47 runs.

La Fleur led the way by scoring a face-saving 70 runs in his team's second innings, and then captured three wickets for 33 runs to help rout the Windwards for 99 runs, as they chased 148 for an outright win.

The Guyanese had a full workout at Banks yesterday and coach Hubert Evans was quite pleased with the 'nets' and physical sessions.

He told CMC Sports that he is quite concerned with his top-order batting but confident of coming out on top in the contest.

"I am looking for a win to stay ahead in the points table," Evans said.

He said that the team's performance against the Windwards was not too outstanding but a win is always a win.

"On any situation, a win is a win. The top-order batting has to be more consistent. The bowlers have done well so far in the series, and I hope they will continue in the same vein in this important fixture," Evans stated.

An outright win

The young Barbadian team started its campaign with an outright win against the Windwards at UWI, and missed out on another possible 12 points after it failed to take up a decent challenge of scoring 150 runs in 34 overs in the second round against Trinidad and Tobago at the Kensington Oval.

Led by Kyle Corbin, Barbados - with their 18 points - are very strong contenders with three rounds remaining.

In the remaining third-round match, the Leeward Islands, still basking in their glory after they created a minor upset against Jamaica at Lester Vaughan, will take on Trinidad and Tobago at Carlton.

The Leewards, coached by former West Indies fast bowler Winston Benjamin, are third in the standings with 12 points and will be seeking another outright win to stay in the hunt.

Trinidad and Tobago are one from last in the table and will be looking towards skipper Adrian Barath to regain some of his batting form so that they can be more competitive.