Pagon and Perry

With a number of their first-string players off the island, Kingston and defending champions Melbourne will today go head-to-head in the feature quarter-final clash of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) all-island limited-overs competition at Sabina Park.

The main players are away on duties with the national team in Guyana, leaving their less distinguuished teammates to lock horns, beginning at 9:30 a.m., in the scheduled 50-over affair.

In other matches, Kensington will travel to Elgin Town to face surprise Twenty20 semi-finalists Hanover, while at Spanish Town Prison Oval, Red Stripe Twenty20 champions St Catherine Cricket Club and St Catherine Cricket Association will meet in a derby.

Manchester, who defeated St Ann in round two last week, drew a bye to the semi-finals.

"We haven't been getting much training because of rain, but as usual we will be going to play positive and attacking cricket," said Melbourne's manager, Donald McNaughton, whose team will be without captain and wicketkeeper/batsman Carlton Baugh Jr and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller.

"We will miss Baugh and Miller, but we have capable replacements in interim captain Donovan Pagon, Yannick Elliot and Andre McCarthy," he added.

Kingston will be without Brendan Nash and Andrew Richardson, but with veteran Nehemiah Perry, youngster Davion Johnson and Fredrick Hermitt, who is coming off a good performance in the last match, they will be hoping to pull off a surprise.

ample ammunition

At Prison Oval, St Catherine CC will be without Danza Hyatt and Odean Brown. But with discarded Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert, Jermaine Lawson, Bevon Brown, Andre Russell and Shacoya Thomas, coach Ephraim Mcleod believes they have ample ammunition to succeed.

"We rarely play against each other because we are in different divisions. But whenever we do it's always good, friendly rivalry as both teams want to say they are champions of St Catherine," said McLeod.

"We haven't won this tournament for about three years now, so we want to put that on ourselves and this year and claim the double," he added.

The day's other matchup at Elgin Town will see Kensington battling without the services of Jamaica senior players Wavell Hinds, David Bernard Jr and Daren Powell, as well as Akeem Dewar, who will play along with West Indies Under-19.

"To lose four key players is tough," said Ralph Hinckson, Kensington's manager. "But we have a good young team who we believe are just coming around. The oldest person we have is Maurice Kepple. But we have Horace Miller, Ranville Brown, Jermaine Cole, Jamaica Under-15 representative Adrian Moulton and will be looking to advance," he added.

Games on

Hanover CC vs Kensington CC at Elgin Town

St Catherine CA vs St Catherine CC at Prison Oval

Kingston CC vs Melbourne CC at Sabina Park