TITLE holders Jamaica will head into today’s fifth-round clash against the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) at Chedwin Park as clear favourites as the West Indies Cricket Board’s regional four-day tournament resumes after a two-week break.

The game is scheduled to start at 10:00 am.

Jamaica, on 36 points, lead the standings ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (33) and the England Lions (30). The CCC follow on 27 points.

While expecting a tough challenge from the CCC, Jamaica’s coach Augustine ‘Gus’ Logie believes his team is poised to continue their strong run this season.

“As I’ve been saying since the start of the season, once we play to our ability I expect us to come out on top. We’ve done really well so far and those good performances should continue.

“A lot of credit must go to the CCC team because they have done really well this season and I expect a tough fight from them,” Logie said.

A key battle is expected between CCC spinner Ryan Austin and Jamaica’s right-handed batsman Marlon Samuels. Austin heads the bowling charts with 18 wickets at an average of 23.38 and is expected to cause problems for the Jamaican batsmen on a pitch which has a history of favouring spin.

Samuels, playing his first four-day championship since a two-year ban, has sparkled with three centuries, including an unbeaten double against Guyana in the first round of matches. The stylish middle-order batsman has amassed an outstanding 595 runs at 99.16.

Logie opted to play down the prospect of a personal duel, but lauded Samuels for his concentration shown so far.

“We’re not too interested in the personal records going into the match. We’re more focussed on our own performances and how we can improve the team as a whole. I’ve been very impressed by the form of Marlon Samuels and his batting is for others in the team to emulate,” Logie said.

Samuels apart, the Jamaican batting has been fairly consistent with skipper Tamar Lambert, David Bernard Jr, Simon Jackson, Wavell Hinds, Brendan Nash and Danza Hyatt supporting with useful runs.

The Jamaicans can choose from fastbowlers Jason Dawes, Sheldon Cotterell, Andrew Richardson and Bernard Jr, while the spin department consists of Odean and Bevon Brown, as well as Lambert with his part-time off-spin.

Ace fastbowler Jerome Taylor is mourning the death of his grandmother and remains out of the 14-man squad, while young all-rounder Jermaine Blackwood has been drafted.

For the CCC, batting responsibility should fall heavily on captain Omar Phillips, Romel Currency, 20 year-old right-hander Kyle Corbin and veteran player-coach Floyd Reifer.

Corbin has shown great promise while compiling 323 runs, including a topscore of 108 against the Leeward Islands.

Pace bowlers Carlos Brathwaite, Raymond Reifer, Kevin McClean and Gilford Moore, along with spinners Kavesh Kantasingh and Nkrumah Bonner, join Austin as threats with the ball.

Phillips was quietly confident of his team’s chances and called on Corbin to continue his good start to the tournament.

“The plan is to go into this game and come out with the victory. The Jamaica team is very strong and they’ve come out on top in most of the games, but we have been doing well and I expect us to compete really well. Kyle is our most in-form batsman at the moment and we are looking to him to carry on with that,” he said.

Speaking to the media shortly after arriving at the Norman Manley International Airport on Tuesday, Austin said his team will have to put in a top performance and possibly dismiss Samuels cheaply in order to topple the Jamaicans.

“We are coming to prove a point. We want to beat the best and that means to come here and overcome Jamaica.

“Last year it was closer than we expected, but… they still came out on top. We have to go out together and bowl in some good areas and if we can get Marlon Samuels early, maybe we can cause some problems,” he said.

When the teams met last season, Lambert and Odean Brown starred with the ball as Jamaica registered a tense 29-run victory at Providence in Guyana.

The Jamaicans, then led by coach Junior Bennett, went on to win its third straight four-day championship, while the CCC ended fifth in the seven-team tournament.

Jamaica squad — Tamar Lambert (capt), Simon Jackson, Danza Hyatt, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds, Brendan Nash, David Bernard Jr, Chadwick Walton, Jason Dawes, Odean Brown, Bevon Brown, Andrew Richardson, Sheldon Cotterell, Jermaine Blackwood

CCC squad — Omar Phillips, Romel Currency, Floyd Reifer, Raymond Reifer, Kyle Corbin, Ryan Austin, Kavesh Kantasingh, Nkrumah Bonner, Shacoya Thomas, Gilford Moore, Kevin McClean, Carlos Brathwaite, Shervon Penco.