PowerGen, Clarke Road clash in Penal derby

DEFENDING champions PowerGen will play Penal neighbours First Citizens Clarke Road United when round three matches in the TT Cricket Board National League Premiership I competition takes place on Saturday and Sunday.

Current leaders PowerGen will play fifth-placed Clarke Road at the latter's home ground at Wilson Road, from 10 am, on Saturday.

PowerGen coach Gibran Mohammed said he is satisfied with his team's effort so far. "Overall we have been playing consistent cricket," he said. "The batsmen have been reaching our targets and we are scoring good partnerships...from the first game we have been improving, we improved to the second game."

Mohammed challenged his batsmen to convert fifties into hundreds and said experienced left-arm spinner Kavesh Kantasingh has been leading from the front in the bowling department.

"We have been doing fantastic as a batting unit. As a bowling unit Kantasingh has been leading, taking wickets, bowling the majority of the overs (and) the other bowlers are doing their job as well. We are doing well as a team so far, but we not getting ahead of ourselves, it is only two games."

Mohammed said PowerGen is primarily focused on their game, but respecting the opposition. "It is a Penal derby, so we could probably market it like that, but at the end of the day this is a cricket game we are going to play. We understand fully well and I try to let the guys understand that we have to concentrate on us, we can't focus on the opposition (too much)...play the brand of cricket that we are working on."

In other matches this weekend, third-placed Central Sports will tackle second-placed Queen's Park I at Invaders Recreation Ground in Felicity, seventh-placed Queen's Park II will face fourth-placed Preysal at the Queen's Park Oval in St Clair, and sixth-placed Raw Fitness Victoria United will entertain Alescon Comets at Barrackpore West Secondary School Ground.

STANDINGS

PowerGen - 50 points

Queen's Park I - 47 points

Central Sports - 42 points

Preysal - 33 points

FC Clarke Road - 24 points

Victoria - 8 points

Queen's Park II - 7 points

Alescon Comets - 3 points