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Regional Four-Day 2025: Harpy Eagles and Pride renew rivalry in bid for perfect start

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Kemol Savory (left) will hope to lead to Guyana Harpy Eagles well both behind and in front of the stumps while Chemar Holder will spearhead the Barbados Pride pace attack

By Akeem Greene

akeem@newsroom.gy

Guyana Harpy Eagles, defending champions of the West Indies Four-Day Championship, would be buoyed that four out of seven matches this season will be at their ‘fortress,’ the National Stadium, Providence.

Their first test will be against Barbados Pride, the only other team to have won the championship in the era of the Professional Cricket League (PCL).

On history, it is a clash of heavyweights to the bowl off the 2025 season.

It will be a tough assignment for the visiting team, which is light on depth and experience. Since PCL’s commencement in 2014, the Harpy Eagles have been a formidable force at home in the Four-Day Championship.

Only five were lost in 31 matches hosted during this period; three were drawn, and one tied.

A winning record of just over 70% at home has undoubtedly helped them win seven of the nine titles in the era.

In the 2015 season, they won all of their five home matches, while in 2023, they won the two matches contested in Guyana.

With matches returning to Providence after none in 2024, Head Coach Ryan Hercules is optimistic that home conditions boost chances.

However, that confidence is metered as he reflected on the common saying, “Cricket is played on the day,” and they must be consistent in their areas to overcome Pride.

Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, and Kevin Sinclair’s experience is void in their ranks for this encounter, as the trio is in Pakistan with the senior team. Shamar Joseph is easing his way back from injury.

As such, Kemol Savory has been handed the captaincy for this match. This is a chance to impress for long-term aspirations, as Imlach is now the incumbent Test keeper.

While practice on Monday gave little hint about who could make the Harpy Eagles XI, it would seem that all-rounder Junior Sinclair is set to make his First-Class debut.

If he does play ahead of Richie Looknauth, it will be to bolster the spin and depart in his variation of off-spin from left-arm spinners Veerasammy Permaul and Antony Adams on a dry surface.

It will also add depth to the batting, as after Kemol Savory at five, there is not much batting experience besides Permaul, who has been a fighting force over the year.

Junior Sinclair could make his First-Class debut on Wednesday (PHOTO: News Room/Akeem Greene/January 27, 2025)

Then, the decision will be made whether to give the promising Thaddeus Lovell a debut or continue with Ronaldo Alimohamed, who played six out of the seven matches last season and scored a hundred in the practice match.

While his numbers with the bat last season were not overly impressive, Alimohamed helped with the ball and secured additional fast-bowling points.

Meanwhile, Pride’s current captain, Raymon Reifer, was on the receiving end of those defeats as he was part of the then-Guyana Jaguars team.

According to Reifer, Pride is disappointed that it didn’t win the title in 2024, but it is “hungry” to improve and will be brave against the Harpy Eagles’ expected heavy diet of spin.

Along with Reifer, Matthew Forde, who is active in the West Indies white-ball teams, and express pacer Chemar Holder, who has planned a lone Test and One-Day International, are the players with international experience.

However, they are also blessed with budding talents, including fearless batsman Kevin Wickham. Test selectee Zachary McCaskie also looks for a strong season to be recalled.

Coincidentally, the last team to defeat Harpy Eagles at Providence was Barbados Pride in March 2020, during the season curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pride (twice), Leeward Islands Hurricanes (twice), and Jamaica Scorpions (once) are the only teams to have defeated the Eagles at Providence in the PCL era.

Guyana Harpy Eagles Squad:  Kemol Savory (Captain), Matthew Nandu (Vice-Captain), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymond Perez, Kevlon Anderson, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Junior Sinclair, Veerasammy Permaul, Antony Adams, Nial Smith, Isai Thorne, Richie Looknauth and Thaddeus Lovell

Barbados Pride Squad: Raymon Reifer (captain), Leniko Boucher, Jonathan Drakes, Matthew Forde, Chaim Holder, Chemar Holder, Matthew Jones, Javed Leacock, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Demetrius Richards, Ramon Simmonds, Kevin Wickham

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