Scorpions need “favour” from other teams, says hopeful Miller

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC — Inspired by a comprehensive victory over Trinidad and Tobago Red Force last weekend, Jamaica Scorpions are now banking on other teams to do them a “favour”, if they are to have any hope of winning the Regional four-day championship.

Scorpions led the standings at the midseason break but slipped off the top on the backs of two defeats, following the restart of the competition earlier this month.

Victory by 87 runs inside three days at Queen’s Park Oval, however, has reinvigorated the side and though the odds are heavily stacked in leaders Guyana Jaguars’ favour, Miller still seemed to hold out hope of a dramatic turnaround in the last two rounds.

“I think Guyana are now 14 points ahead of us with two games to play at home, and they are really good at home,” Miller told the Gleaner newspaper here.

“We will need the other teams to do us a favour [and beat Guyana] and we continue to do what we need to do, which is win our final two games.”

Scorpions, who lie third on 95.2 points, face a tricky test in the ninth round against Windward Islands Volcanoes at Arnos Vale in Kingstown before wrapping up their campaign with a difficult assignment against second placed Barbados Pride at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

Volcanoes are fourth on 74.2 points while Pride have 99.2.

Miller, whose Man-of-the-Match ninewicket match-haul propelled Scorpions to victory against Red Force, said it was had been important to end the losing slide.

“It’s a bit refreshing that we could break the losing spell that we had,” the left-arm spinner said.

“I thought we showed a good level of fight as there were parts in the game that we were down in both innings, and individuals stood up and came up with big innings for the team.

“This includes Fabian Allen in the second innings and Derval Green in the first. (Devon) Thomas as well should be congratulated as himself and Allen put on a 50-odd runs partnership that helped set up the game for us.”

Allen, in only his second first class game, slammed a maiden first class halfcentury — an attacking 60 in the second innings — to bail Scorpions out of trouble.

The tournament undergoes a week-long break before resuming on April 7.