BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Traditional powerhouses Barbados and three-time defending champions Jamaica will look to get their seasons firmly on track in the third round of the WICB regional first-class championship, starting today at Kensington Oval.

The Barbadians are seventh on the eight-team ladder with six points, after they conceded first innings points in their first two matches, which ended in draws against Trinidad & Tobago on the road, and the England Lions on home soil.

Captain Ryan Hinds has bemoaned his side's fielding, which has let both T&T and the Lions off the hook, and felt this would be a crucial area to get right if Barbados are to come out on top.

crucial moments

"It has tended to let us down at crucial moments, and we have been working really, really hard on this area of our game, so if we can get this right, we believe we will be far more competitive than we have been in the last two matches," he said.

"We have been batting pretty well, and we have been playing good team cricket. Once we can get all the parts of our game together, we will be able to put up a good fight this weekend."

The Jamaicans are tied with the Lions and T&T on 18 points, but they are effectively third under the tiebreaker rules of the competition.

They crushed Guyana by 165 runs victory, after conceding first innings points, and then had to settle for a draw, after gaining first innings points from Windward Islands, when the rain wiped out the last two sessions of that match.

confident

Their captain Tamar Lambert was quietly confident of doing well, but he cautioned that Barbados are one of the toughest sides to beat in the region.

"Things have been going well for us so far in the competition," he said.

"We have not batted as consistently as we would have liked, particularly in the first innings, so we are looking forward to the challenge against Barbados. We know they have a good bowling attack, and will come hard at us."

He added: "Once we got out there and be positive, we can do well. I have full confidence in all my players, and they have strong self-belief, so we are confident we can put on a good show against the Barbadians."

Both teams have kept faith with the squads that were chosen for the previous round of matches, but Barbados' squad has bulged to 14, with the return of fast bowler Tino Best, following a one-match suspension.

Best was omitted for the match against the Lions, after a verbal assault on female team trainer Shannon Lashley over fitness drills ahead of that game.

Bowling is the strength of the Jamaicans, with Jerome Taylor, another recuperating West Indies fast bowler, as the spearhead.

But their batting will be the key, and they will need to show a far more consistent effort than they have shown so far.