DEFENDING champions Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) are eyeing a historic sixth consecutive premiership one 50-over title when they face Clarke Road United in Saturday's final at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva, from 10am.
But Clarke Road have other plans and are gunning to etch their name on the coveted crown, last won by the Penal-based team in 2014.
Parkites coach Vinood Maharaj said preparations have been good and they are confident. Reluctant to divulge too much, Maharaj said they’ve “worked on a couple things.”
He added, “We’ll target a couple players who have been getting the job done for Clarke Road over the years and this season. Once we execute those plans I think things will finish in our favour.
“We’re looking at creating some local history...I understand from club officials that we’ve won this title about 16-17 times so there’s a lot of history in it for us.”
Despite finishing atop the Premier One Division (two/three-day tournament) in late March, QPCC are currently awaiting the conclusion of a court matter between PowerGen and the TT Cricket Board to decide the winner.
This, Maharaj said, delayed their capture of their first trophy for the year. A win on Saturday keeps them on course for a possible domestic treble, with the T20 tournament scheduled to bowl off on May 19.
“Everyone is motivated to grab those three titles this season,” Maharaj said.
Clarke Road coach Dinesh Mahabir is well aware of QPCC’s chase for an unprecedented number of titles. However, he believes their squad boasts a core team of experienced players who can put a stop to the Parkites.
Clarke Road finished atop the standings after the preliminary rounds and automatically advanced to the final. Whereas second-placed QPCC had to face off against third-placed Central Sports in a playoff for a final spot. The Parkites won that match by 57 runs.
Mahabir said the team has been putting in the hours and are ready to go.
“For a team like Clarke Road to come in a 50-over final and compete the way we did this season, it’s not a fluke.
“It’s something that we did, starting from the last season where we trained continually throughout the year, on a year-long programme. We stayed together and built each other as a team.”
Clarke Road captain Yannick Ottley is a three-time Regional Super50 winner while fellow opening batsman Nicholas Sookdeosingh also hoisted the crown once before.
The likes of Vikash Mohan and Tobago’s bright stars Joshua James and DeJourn Charles add an edge to their attack.
Mahabir said his team is embracing the challenge.
“It’s going to be a tough game because they (QPCC) are a top team, but we’re going to come for it.
“We’re billed as underdogs and we like that, especially when one team has been dominating. We’re up for it and have been planning for a long time. We want to raise a trophy. The last time we did, we had Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran and current (assistant) coach Mukesh Persad in the team.
“It’s about opportunity. We have some of the best players in the country
