New teams bolster Commercial League
action as the revitalised Commercial Cricket League season gets underway tomorrow.
Two of the eight teams are newcomers, Lucozade Leg Trappers and West End Warriors, while North Village, who quit halfway through last season, and Police Recreation Club, who last played in the Commercial League several seasons ago, have returned.
Two of last season's surviving quartet -- league and Knockout Cup champions West Indian Association, League Cup winners Forties, Pembroke United and Sandys Sports Club -- have changed their names. Sandys are now Watford Sports Club while Pembroke have become the Jamaican Association.
Three of Sunday's four matches will be played at Premier club grounds. The only fixture on an artificial surface pits Forties against North Village at Shelly Bay.
Forties' ranks have been depleted by the loss of six leading players. Three of them -- Adrian Jennings, Ken McGee and Sanjika Samaranayake -- have left the Island while Gladwin (Chief) Ingham has joined Somerset and Jim Walters and Grant Tomkins have left to set up Police Recreation Club.
Lucozade Leg Trappers, who take on Watford at Nationals, boast at least five former Nationals players in their ranks -- Alan Corcoran, Graham Strange, Dave Wright, James Broadbent and Pete Norris -- and will be strong candidates for major honours.
West End Warriors, who play Police at Police Field, are led by former Commercial player Gladstone Eve.
West Indian Association, who have lost their only Bermudian player, Sean Spencer, to Young Men's Social Club, meet the Jamaican Association in a Caribbean showdown at St. John's Field.
In an attempt to ensure prompter starts to games, which officially begin at 12.30, the league has ruled that only those players who arrive by 1.30 will be allowed to play. The previous rule said players had to arrive within an hour of the start of play.
Because teams will play 14 league games during the season the League Cup has been omitted from the schedule which will have three free days, June 8, July 6 and August 3. A new trophy, the Consolation Cup, will be competed for at the end of the season by Knockout tournament losers.
