Barbados have the home advantage

Home advantage could work in Barbados' favour during this year's regional first-class cricket competition and coach Hendy Springer is hoping to make the most of it.

This season Barbados will have five of their seven preliminary round matches at home, and the coach said the key to a successful season would be to collect most of the points at home.

"We are looking forward to doing well, especially at home. We have a very good squad to pick up the majority of points at home," said Springer, a former Barbados off-spinning allrounder. "The home matches put us in a better position than last year."

Barbados' first match is away to the Windward Islands at Arnos Vale, St Vincent, and the other away match is against Guyana at Albion.

Of the five home matches, two - against India "A" and Jamaica, will be played away from the traditional home at Kensington Oval. These matches will be played at Windward Club, St Philip, and North Stars Club, St Lucy, as the Oval pitch is being "rested" after resurfacing. The other home matches are against Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands and West Indies "B".

The Barbados players resume preparation with a training session this morning at Police Sports Club, Weymouth, after the Christmas break. They will be there until they start a ten-day camp at the Barbados Defence Force base at Paragon on January 15.

"We have got the momentum from playing and winning the Red Stripe Bowl [last September]," Springer said. "We would like to transfer that to the longer version of the game.

"I spoke to the guys the majority of the year and they have indicated they are ready to perform and play their role in the competition."

The Barbados team, led by experienced 'keeper Courtney Browne, is a fine mixture of talented youth and several reliable seasoned campaigners.

Springer said the camp would be similar to last year and players would be put through rigorous paces - including physical training, intense practice sessions and beach work - to ensure the 16-man squad is ready for the January 31 start of the season.