Jermaine Lannaman, Star Writer

Technical director of St Catherine CC, Ephraim McLeod, says the current structure of the Jamaica Cricket Association One-Day Championship fixture is unfortunate, as it tends to favour rural area teams when compared to their urban area counterparts.

The fixture, which will have its final set of preliminary round matches being played today, is presently divided into five zones, three in the rural area and two in the urban area.

However, with the winners of rural area zones slated to advance to semi-finals, and winners of the urban area zones down set for play-off today, McLeod argues that the format is skewed.

"It's kind of unfortunate based on how the fixture is set up," said McLeod.

"It seems to favour rural area teams as opposed to urban area teams.

"Teams should play to reach the semi-finals and final based on merit and not geographical location, and how it is set-up right now at least one rural area team is guaranteed a place in the final and this should not be."

According to McLeod, what should have been done in the first place is that the 10 urban and 12 rural teams should have been spread over four zones; two urban and two rural.

Meanwhile, the urban area play-off, which will be one of 11 matches played today, will see rivals Melbourne and St Catherine squaring off at Melbourne Oval.

St Catherine, who won four and saw one of their matches end in a no-result due to rain, will be led by captain Tamar Lambert, and are expected to include Andre Russell, Danza Hyatt, Odean Brown and Oraine Williams.

Melbourne, in the meanwhile, will take instructions from stand-in captain Jon-Ross Campbell, and will include Carlton Baugh Jr, Andre McCarthy, Yannick Elliott, Tarique White, Sadiki Bolt, and Damion Jacobs.

The day will also see the three rural area semi-finalists being decided as well. In West Zone, hopefuls Hanover and Westmoreland, 12 points each, will square-off at Elgin Town, while in East Zone, leaders, St Ann (12) and St Mary (9) will clash at Three Hills.

South Central Zone, in the meanwhile, will see Manchester (10) playing away to out-of-contention St Elizabeth (4), and St Catherine CA (10) hosting Clarendon (4).

FIXTURE

East Zone

St Mary vs St Ann - Three Hills

GC Foster College vs Portland - GC Foster

West Zone

St James vs Trelawny - Green Pond

Hanover vs Westmoreland - Elgin Town

South Central Zone

St Catherine CA vs Clarendon - Port Esquivel

St Elizabeth vs Manchester - Manley Horne