Lions' Sinclair and Saints' Lambert

Former front-runners Manchester Lions will seek to regain the lead in the two-day Jamaica Super Cricket League, when they take on fast-rising defending champions St Catherine Saints at Chedwin Park this weekend.

The Lions, leaders of the first three rounds of the seven-round championship, which is now in its fourth week, will be led by Gary Graham, Donovan Sinclair and Jamie Merchant.

They are seeking to put aside last week's first-innings defeat to Melbourne Kangaroos, which lowered them to third in the standings. The Lions are third on eight points.

The Saints, on the other hand, led by national captain, Tamar Lambert, will be seeking another positive result after defeating newcomers Hanover Dolphins and extending their lead in the standings.

The Saints have 10 points, one more than Melbourne Kangaroos, who have drawn a bye this weekend due to participation in the second annual West Indies Players Association (WIPA) Twenty20 Club League in Trinidad and Tobago.

"St Catherine-Manchester is always a good matchup. We are, however, facing batting problems at the moment and will have to dig deep if we are to come out with a positive result," said Manchester coach, Barry Barnes.

"Donovan Sinclair has left for England, while Matthew Sinclair is ill and is doubtful, leaving our middle order vulnerable. We just hope the guys can come and play some good cricket," he explained.

taking nothing for granted

Saints coach Ephraim McLeod says his team is seeking to consolidate their position.

"We try to play every game as a final. We are now at the top but only by a point, so we are not taking anything for granted. We will be fighting hard to try and stay on top," said McLeod.

In other matches, St Elizabeth Warriors, who are third from bottom in the eight-team championship, will entertain Westmoreland Wizards at Alpart, while fifth-place Kingston Tigers will welcome the Dolphins at Sabina Park.

Meanwhile, six matches will be played in the third round of the second-tier JCA Senior Cup. In Group A, the Jamaica Defence Force will host St Mary, Clarendon will travel to GC Foster and St James will entertain Police at Jarrett Park. In Group B, Portland will play host to Kingston and St Andrew, Kensington will do battle with Lucas and St Catherine will host St Thomas at Port Esquivel.