With the high drama that has dominated the sport of cricket off the field for the last few weeks now out of the way, domestic sports's most distinguished competition opens with renewed enthusiasm following a last-minute sponsorship deal.
The Courts/Suzuki Division 1 championship, which offers among other things an attractive prize from Bubba's sports bar for the season's Most Outstanding Player, bowls off with several changes in team personnel, the return of a few old faces and the unavailability of other seasoned campaigners.
The major showpiece of this afternoon's programme appears to be at the Brewery where defending champions St. Catherine face a much-strengthened Banks team.
Banks, nothing more than rank underdogs for the greater part of this decade, are suddenly seen as genuine title contenders following the acquisition of champion left-arm spinner Winston Reid and his successful YMPC captain of the last few seasons, Mark Estwick.
Reid brings skill and guile and Estwick brings inspiration and dynamism to a team whose batting is potentially strong on paper with the likes of reinstated captain Barry Callender, last season's skipper Sean Armstrong, the solid Lewis Spooner and the potentially exciting Adrian Watson.
A year ago, Banks were so weak that St. Catherine, or more precisely Victor Skeete (who finished with a match haul of 14 wickets), needed just over two days to polish them off.
The champions return with a five-pronged pace attack bolstered by the addition of Roger Blades, a strapping all-rounder who spent the last eight years in Bermuda as a lawman.
While Banks and St. Catherine welcome their additions, the two teams clashing at Queen's Park are trying to cope with losses.
Home team Big B Spartan, set back by the unavailability of Philo Wallace, Hendy Springer, George Linton, Hattian Graham and Roy Alleyne for varying reasons, are being led for the first time by the experienced Ronnie Griffith.
Their opponents, Sports and Games YMPC, also have a new captain: West Indies opener Sherwin Campbell. But he - like BET's Floyd Reifer, Empire's Ricky Hoyte and Cockspur Wanderers' Pedro Collins - will miss the opening day because of a WICB training camp in Antigua.
YMPC, who will be skippered by Terry Rollock today, have picked three newcomers but there is no Ryan Hurley in the side, reportedly because of illness.
This match is a sneak preview of the long overdue 1997 Barbados Fire and Commercial Cup final, and is sure to provide an indicator of which is the stronger team.
Another team affected by changes for the opening match is multiple champions Empire. Carlisle Best is still undecided about his status, Jeremy Alleyne has opted for a lower division, Patterson Thompson is in Canada on holiday and new player/coach Sherlon Greaves is unavailable.
Empire are away to Maple who have attracted three teenaged newcomers.
The match at Blenheim 'A' is special for the sole reason that it features ten newcomers in the two teams. But there is some sadness because Richard Riley, a heavy scorer in the BCL domestic competitions, will not be able to make his Division 1 debut owing to a serious injury at practice early this week.
Riley, making his way to ``pad-up'' behind the nets, was struck a nasty blow in the mouth that required 25 stitches and robbed him of four teeth.
BCL are also having some difficulty in finalising the release of Ian Perryman Jr. from his school.
The 15-year-old Perryman, a left-arm spinner who is better known in cycling, has been described by league president Owen Estwick as ``the best young potential he has seen at Blenheim in the last ten years''.
Like BCL, Wanderers have five first-timers, including Barbados Youth team wicket-keeper Corey Glasgow.
In the other matches, CHIC Schools North face United Carlton at St. James Secondary, BET oppose ESAF Pickwick at Wildey and CHIC Schools South meet Police at Harrison College.