The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Senior Cup competition is set to return this weekend after a three-year break, giving players additional opportunity to impress national selectors ahead of the second phase of the regional four-day tournament in March.

The Senior Cup, which features two-day matches, is to comprise seven preliminary rounds this season, organisers outlined during the launch at Sabina Park in Kingston on Wednesday.

The top two teams from each of the four zones will advance to the quarter-finals with the competition scheduled to conclude with the semi-finals and final in late April.

Because of restrictions to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Senior Cup was not staged since 2019 when Melbourne Cricket Club lifted the title.

“We are really happy to have the return of the Senior Cup because we have had a proliferation of white-ball cricket,” Ian Spencer, a JCA director and chairman of the association’s marketing committee, told the Jamaica Observer in reference to the staging of Twenty20 and 50-over club competitions in 2022.

Jamaica also hosted a Dream 11 T10 (10-over-per-side) cricket tournament last year.

With an eye on developing players to matriculate to first-class and West Indies Test teams, Spencer added: “The red-ball version is where you really see the true potential of the players. The Senior Cup is what a lot of people most look forward to, so we are really happy at the resumption. It is going to really test the mettle of the players, and test them technically.”

Melbourne all-rounder Shalome Parnell is eager for the start of the competition.

“I think it’s exciting for Senior Cup to be back because a lot of cricket hasn’t been played in the country because of the virus pandemic. So, a lot of youngsters haven’t had the opportunity to really showcase their talent for a while,” said the left-handed batsman who bowls left-arm pace.

He said the club is well positioned for its title defence, which is to begin on Saturday against hosts Jamaica Defence Force at Up Park Camp.

“Melbourne have a decent team to defend this trophy. We have been gelling a lot for a month or two now, so I think it’s great. And I’m confident we can defend the title,” Parnell told the Observer.

O’neil Cruickshank, the JCA cricket operations and development manager, said emphasis will be placed on officiating as part of a thrust to improve the action on the field.

He said the JCA is working alongside the Jamaica Cricket Umpires’ Association (JCUA) to have a pool of the country’s better officials for each match.

“The players, for a while, have been making suggestions that some of the umpires may not be ready for this level. We have agreed that we can have a panel of umpires, not just for the Senior Cup, but for other competitions.

“We want to have what we consider to be the best umpires available. We are hoping people will aspire to be on that panel and that they will do their best to stay on the panel,” he explained.

Cruickshank said the JCA is also making a strong push for team scorers to use digital scorecards to simplify and modernise the collation of statistics.

“It [a digital scorecard] allows live scoring in some cases and it’s easier for people to go online to get the information.

“We are hoping to have real-time scoring, and it’s just part of the effort we are making to bring the cricket into modernity,” he said.

TEAMS: Cornwall — St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, Trelawny.

Middlesex — Manchester, Clarendon, G C Foster College, St Catherine CA, St Ann, St Mary.

Surrey A— St Thomas, Police, Kensington, Lucas, Boys’ Town, St Catherine CC, Mico University.

Surrey B — Portland, Melbourne, Kingston and St Andrew CA, Kingston CC, Jamaica Defence Force, University of the West Indies.