THE enticing clash between the Tamar Lambert-captained Spanish Town Titans and Nikita Miller’s Half-Way-Tree Sparks will be the feature of today’s start of the inaugural Jamaica Premier League (JPL) Twenty20 (T20) cricket tournament.

The teams are scheduled for the 9:30 am curtain-raiser at the Melbourne Cricket Club and Lambert said he is expecting a keen contest.

“We are looking for a good start to the tournament. It should really be a good game because obviously there are quality players on both teams. We both have match-winners and the players are familiar with each other so it should also be a good atmosphere,” he said.

Miller, the out-of-favour West Indies left-arm spinner, conceded that his opponents start as favourites but assured that he is aiming for victory.

“It should be a difficult game for us. Though both teams have good players, the Titans have more established ones who have plenty of experience at the club and national level.

“We are still looking to beat them and I know that once we put together a good performance on the day that they will be in some trouble,” Miller added.

In the second match at the venue, the Ocho Rios Chargers will square off with Kingston Hurricanes at 1:30 pm.

At the Treasure Beach Sports Complex in St Elizabeth, the Mo-Bay Sixers face the Mandeville Thunder at 9:30 pm, while University Dynamites challenge May Pen Earthquakes in the afternoon.

The three-week championship, which is being sponsored by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), is part of the Jamaica Cricket Association’s (JCA) thrust to expose local players to more T20 cricket.

The JPL sees the eight newly formed franchises battle for almost $3 million in cash and prizes.

The teams will be vying for the $700,000 winners’ prize, with the runners-up set to pocket $500,000. The man-of-the-tournament will walk away with $50,000.