Bajans ready for CCC

BARBADOS and Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) have had a series of cricket battles that have been evenly shared over the past three seasons. Tonight is the chance for one of them to ease ahead on the second day of the Caribbean Twenty20 at Kensington Oval.In four first-class matches between the two since the CCC outfit were admitted to their first competitions in 2008, each side has won two.The rivalry resumes at 8 p.m., under the lights, in what is the first ever meeting between the teams in the extra shorter form of the game.Having not made any of the two finals of the Stanford 20/20 tournaments in 2006 and 2008, Barbados will be out to prove they can transfer their success from the first-class arena.The 2006 and 2008 Twenty20 teams have gone through something of a facelift and this campaign will include a few changes, including three new Barbados selectees: Jason Hinds, Ashley Nurse, and Larry Babb.“We are ready. As individuals we are where we need to be and as a team we are focused on the overall goal,” said coach Emmerson Trotman.“We have three new players in the team and the good thing about all three is that they are three-dimensional players – all three bat well, add to the bowling and are outstanding fielders. “We have some experienced players in the team who will form the base of the team, but we will be looking to every man to perform and deliver.”Combined Campuses and Colleges are once again packed with several Bajans, led by new captain Omar Phillips, who takes over the role from Floyd Reifer, now player/coach.Prior to Barbados and CCC taking the field, they would have had the chance to watch the two other teams in their zone – Guyana and Windward Islands – in the first match of the day at 4 p.m.The winners of this tournament will walk away with US$25 000 and a place in the lucrative Airtel Champions League in South Africa in September, but Trotman said they were not thinking that far down the road.“In our team there is no money talk, no focusing on South Africa. We are focusing on every game in the Caribbean Twenty20,” he said.“We are confident as we go into the first match, because our preparation has been good and the players fully understand what is required.”Barbados go into the tournament with a new manager: former Barbados and West Indies opener Desmond Haynes.“It is good to have Desmond Haynes on board as the new manager,” Trotman said. “He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, as an outstanding Barbados and West Indies cricketer, and he has already started to add a lot to the team set-up.”