GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):

Defending champions Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) will seek to clinch their spot in the semi-finals when the second round of the WICB President's Cup bowls off today.

They will fancy their chances of winning their second successive match when they face the Windward Islands at Uitvlugt, on the West Coast Demerara.

The Uitvlugt pitch should provide prodigious turn for T&T's spin trio of Dave Mohammed, Sherwin Ganga and Samuel Badree, and the Windwards will find scoring difficult against them.

Windwards lost by a run to Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) in their first match but will be hoping to rebound from their first-round defeat by denying T&T.

Pressure

Jamaica, who should be strengthened by the return of Chris Gayle, Jerome Taylor and Shawn Findlay, will meet CCC at Bourda in a match they want to win handsomely in order to stay in the race for a semi-final place.

If Gayle, Brenton Parchment, Xavier Marshall, Danza Hyatt, Wavel Hinds, Carlton Baugh and David Bernard all fire, the Floyd Reifer-led CCC could be placed under severe pressure.

CCC, however, are an improving team and Reifer, who top-scored with an unbeaten 45 in the first match against the Windwards, is at home at this level, and Jamaica could find a strong challenge from the youthful unit as a result.

Guyana, meanwhile, will aim for a semi-final spot with victory against Barbados at Albion in what should be the match of the round.

Struggled to 194

After dismissing the Leeward Islands for 193, the powerful Guyana batting, including Narsingh Deonarine and captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, struggled to 194 for seven to register a win.

Guyana will hope for a much better showing from their batsmen against a Barbados bowling attack led by rookie West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach.

Young West Indies will clash with Leeward Islands at the National Stadium at Providence and will hope to make up for their loss to Barbados.

They played good cricket in that game and if they decide to strengthen their batting by including opener Trevon Griffith and André Creary to compliment Kraigg Braithwaite, Evin Lewis Yannick Ottley, Yannick Carriah and Shane Dowrich, they could give the Leewards a run.

Lionel Baker and Gavin Tonge give the Leewards a potent new-ball attack, while Willett and Justin Athanaze and Anthony Martin will do the spinning.