Samuels in the middle as UWI face Melbourne in Senior Cup semi-final

Former West Indies batsman Robert Samuels says he intends to float around during the playing of the Jamaica Cricket Association Senior Cup semi-final clash between Melbourne CC and University of The West Indies (UWI) at the Sir Frank Worrell Oval, UWI, today.

The former Jamaica captain is the coach of both teams, which he explains he holds dearly for different reasons.

He is a past player of Melbourne, where he honed his cricketing skills as a child. The UWI represents his first major coaching assignment since retiring.

"I didn't envision this when I started coaching the UWI in 2002," Samuels said.

"Melbourne is where my heart is and is where I spent all my boyhood days playing and learning the game, but the UWI is a project that I started from scratch, from the inter-collegiate level until now, with us being allowed to participate in national competitions only three years ago.

"Since then, we have made it to the final of the one-day tournament last year and now this year, the semis of the two-day."

The contest, one of two on the weekend, will see Melbourne, led by sidelined West Indies spinner Nikita Miller, starting as favourites.

They will also have in the line-up national representatives, batsmen AndrE McCarthy, Jon-Ross Campbell, and off-spinner Yannick Elliott.

The UWI, in the meantime, are set to depend on young Jamaica captain Paul Palmer Jr and his national teammate, in-form all-rounder Rovman Powell.

"I would have loved for both teams to be in the final, as I could have put my feet up and just enjoy two days of cricket," said Samuels.

The second semi-final will see St Thomas CA and Kingston doing battle at Goodyear Oval in St Thomas.