THE REGIONAL limited-overs cricket tournament gets under way in Guyana today and once there is little rain and plenty sunshine, it should be a close and exciting contest from start to finish. One reason for the expectation of a tournament to remember is that the West Indies thrilling victory in the recent ICC Champions Trophy has triggered a new wave of interest in the game regionally, and another is the battle for a place or two on the West Indies team scheduled to tour Australia for a triangular series in January. The real reason, however, is the contest that lies ahead - a contest between six strong teams, all of whom believe that they are the best in the region, all of whom boast some exciting batsmen and, at this level, some good bowlers, all of whom are really in with a chance, and any of whom, with a little luck, can walk away with the title as the best in the region. For the first time in a number of years there will be no teams like the USA, Canada, Bermuda, Northern or Southern Windward Islands, Leeward Islands X1, Antigua, St. Vincent, Bermuda, Young West Indies and the Universities X1. BEST VERSUS THE BEST As it was in the beginning back in 1976, it will be the best versus the best, it will be Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands up against each other before the top four meet in a knockout semi-finals to decide the finalists - the two teams that will contest the showdown at Kensington Oval on October 31. With each of the six teams winning the title at least twice and at least once since 1996, it will also be a battle of champions - a battle that is unlikely to see such manhandling of the opposition as was the case in 2001 when Trinidad and Tobago smashed Northern Windward Islands for 409 for six at Melbourne Oval; such destruction as was the case in 2002 when Trinidad and Tobago nailed Canada for 55; or such one-sided contests like that of 1998 when the Leeward Islands defeated the USA by 242 runs at Kensington Park. The promise this time is for some close and exciting matches in the preliminary round, in the semi-final and in the final with Barbados and Jamaica tipped to be the two contesting the final. Winners of the first two titles and again as late as 2002, four-time champions Barbados are running hot, and not many fans around the region will bet against them - not even with fast bowlers Fidel Edwards and Tino Best out of action. PROMISING YOUNGSTERS Led by the confident Courtney Browne, the defending champions parade two solid experienced batsmen in Sherwin Campbell and Floyd Reifer, two good young ones in Ryan Hinds and the aggressive Dwayne Smith, and a promising one in young Martin Nurse. The real strength of Barbados, however, lies in their bowling. With left-arm pacers Ian Bradshaw and Pedro Collins, right-arm pacer Corey Colly-more, offspinner Ryan Hurley, and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, Barbados are blessed, and on top of that, they can also call on the medium-pace of Smith and the left-arm spin of Hinds. Winners in 1999 and five times before that, Jamaica are also strong. With Christopher Gayle, Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels, plus young Xavier Marshall, Tamar Lambert, Carlton Baugh, David Bernard, Brenton Parchment, Danza Hyatt and captain Gareth Breese, Jamaica's batting is strong, and although they will be without Jermaine Lawson, Jerome Taylor, and Andrew Richardson, to an extent, so too their bowling to come from pacers Daren Powell, Evon McInnis and Dwight Washington, offspinner Breese and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller. Like Barbados, however, Jamaica's real strength may well be in the bowling. Apart from their specialist bowlers, there are also Hinds with his medium pace, Gayle and Samuels with their offspin. Guyana, the champion of champions, the defending champions with eight titles, including one in 1998 and one in 2001, will be without Ramnaresh Sarwan ­ and that must dim their hopes a bit. With captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul shepherding batsmen like Sewnarine Chattergoon, Narsingh Deonarine, Lennox Cush, Travis Dowling and Krishna Arjune, however, with a bowling attack that includes pacers Reon King, Rayon Griffith and Esuan Crandon, left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell, right-arm legspinner Mahendra Nagamootoo and offspinner Imran Jefferally, they too have a wonderful chance. Winners in 1996 and five times before that, Trinidad and Tobago will be without Brian Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Mervyn Dillon, and although they are confident that with the likes of captain Daren Ganga, Ricardo Powell and Shazam Babwah, plus young Denesh Ramdin, they have a chance, the odds are against them making it to the last four much more to the final. SURPRISE That leaves the Leeward Islands, six-time winners, and the Windward Islands, two-time winners, and although they are the least fancied to make it to the last four or the last two, they could surprise - as they did in 2000 when they contested the final. Lest it be forgotten, the Leeward Islands possess a few good batsmen in captain Stuart Williams, Sylvester Joseph, Runako Morton, Wilden Cornwall, Tonito Willett and Alex Adams. They also possess some good bowlers in pacers Kerry Jeremy and Elsroy Powell, and two good offspinners in Omari Banks and Chaka Hodge, and with Devon Smith, young Craig Emmanuel, and Liam Sebastien, plus captain Rawl Lewis and Junior Murray batting for them, with pacers Kenroy Peters, Deighton Butler, Darren Sammy and Fernix Thomas, spinners Shane Shillingford and Orlanzo Jackson bowling for them, so too do the Windward Islands. Apart from the excitement in chasing victory, batting is what makes limited-overs cricket so exciting, and although Lara and Sarwan will not be in action, Gayle will be there, and so too Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Ricardo Powell, Dwayne Smith, Shazam Babwah, Devon Smith, Sylvester Joseph, Stuart Williams and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. SOURCE: JAMAICA-GLEANER.COM