Coach David Furlonge urges Red Force youth to grab chance

COACH of the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force David Furlonge is urging his players to grab the opportunity in the West Indies Four-Day Championships, especially those who have been in the setup for years but are yet to cement themselves in the team.

Captain Joshua Da Silva will lead the Red Force in their opening match against defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles at Conaree Sports Club, Conaree, St Kitts. The match bowls off today at 10 am.

In another round one match in St Kitts, Leewards Islands Hurricanes play West Indies Academy at 10 am at Warner Park in Basseterre. The other first-round matches will be played in Jamaica with Jamaica Scorpions facing Windward Islands Volcanoes at Sabina Park in Kingston and Combined Colleges and Campuses battling Barbados Pride at Chedwin Park in Spanish Town.

Yesterday, Furlonge said, "The mood is upbeat. The fellas have expressed quiet confidence that we are prepared properly and they can't wait for the game to start."

Players like Cephas Cooper, Vikash Mohan, Jyd Goolie, Tion Webster and Amir Jangoo are still all fairly young players, but most have been around the squad for years.

"There are some players there who have been around. Cephas has played for Trinidad and Tobago already, Vikash Mohan...as you said Jyd Goolie, Tion Webster. We have young players that have been around for a while but have not played much, so hopefully this will be their first year that they grasp the opportunity and come good and keep their places for the balance of the tournament."

On facing the defending champions in round one, Furlonge said, "We had a look at the wicket yesterday. The wicket looks fine, it has some grass on it so it should give some help to our fast bowlers. We know Guyana is always a tough team. I think we beat them once over the last three years. We just have to remain focused and the bowlers be consistent in their lines and lengths."

Red Force have had their issues with the opening batting pair, using many combinations in the last few years. Furlonge is hoping his opening pair this year gets it right.

"I think it is important we get a good start from our openers. That is where we have had problems over the last few years, not getting good opening stands."

He said that would help Red Force post scores in excess of 300 runs. Mohan and Cooper is an option for Furlonge at the top of the order.

Da Silva will be beaming with confidence after playing a key role recently in the West Indies' upset win over Australia in the second Test match of a two-game series to level the series 1-1. The wicket-keeper batsman struck 79 in the victory.

Despite his experience, Furlonge said Da Silva will bat at number five or six in an effort to give him rest. Furlonge said if Red Force bowls first, Da Silva will get little rest if he bats higher up the batting order.

Squads:

Red Force – Joshua Da Silva (captain/wicket-keeper), Bryan Charles (vice-captain), Amir Jangoo, Imran Khan, Terrance Hinds, Jason Mohammed, Jyd Goolie, Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip, Vikash Mohan, Cephas Cooper, Tion Webster, Khary Pierre, David Furlonge (coach), Sebastian Edwards (manager), Ruel Rigsby (physio), Rayad Emrit (assistant coach), Shane Burnett (strength and conditioning coach).

Harpy Eagles – Kevlon Anderson (captain), Matthew Nandu (vice-captain), Veerasammy Permaul, Antony Adams, Kevin Sinclair, Ronsford Beaton, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymond Perez, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Steven Sankar, Kemol Savory (wicket-keeper), Richie Looknauth, Neiland Cadogan.