REIGNING SuperCricket League champions Manchester Lions will meet main rivals Melbourne Kangaroos and St Catherine Saints very early in 2010 after the domestic fixtures were issued.

The Lions, who won this season’s premier competition under acrimonious circumstances, will begin their defence away to arch-rivals Melbourne on March 20-21.

The following weekend sees Barry Barnes’ men host Kingston Tigers, who finished the 2009 campaign in third, before travelling to Chedwin Park, where they will play St Catherine CC on April 24-25.

Barnes should be most concerned by the drafting of this new fixture as he must contend with facing the three top-four finishers from last season.

But for Kingston’s coach Terrence Corke, he’s relatively happy with the draw despite having Manchester and Melbourne back-to-back.

“I think we got a good draw for the first round, but then we have two tough games against two of the tougher teams in the league,” Corke told the Observer.

“But we should be competitive against Manchester and Melbourne. We’ll be looking to strengthen our squad and there are some good prospects that we are courting at the moment… so we are looking to earn some points even against the bigger clubs,” he added.

All top-four finishers from last season will play a game more on the road, while promoted side St Ann Cutters, St Elizabeth Warriors, Trelawny Buccaneers and Westmoreland Wizards receive four home games each.

The Wizards continue to escape relegation, but for the third straight season in the league they’ll be playing their home games away from home.

Wizards’ customary home venue, the Allan Rae Oval, is yet to meet the minimum playing standards which should be a serious cause for concern for the parish authorities and cricket’s local governing body.

When contacted, however, president of the Westmoreland Cricket Association, Cleveland Keddo, said the Wizards have found a suitable venue for next season.

“We will be using Bog, which was built by former Prime Minister PJ Patterson. The facility has been refurbished and there are plans to install some stands. The other venue is Little London High School.

“So we’ll be using one or two, or both. Not being able to play at home has been our downfall for the past two seasons. But we anticipate things will improve because we will have our supporters,” said Keddo.

The competition breaks after the first two rounds to accommodate warm-up matches on the island ahead the T20 World Championship in the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, Melbourne and St Catherine have been placed on opposite sides of the draw in both the All-Island 50-over and Twenty20 competitions, which means they will not meet unless they reach the final.