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Hosts Barbados will have a tough assignment against Jamaica in a semifinal of the Nortel West Indies Under-19 cricket tournament starting today.

Barbados and Jamaica will journey to the North Stars Sports Club ground, Crab Hill, St. Lucy, while Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago square off at Queen's Park in the other semifinal.

Even though the young Barbadians are at home and will have patriotic crowd support, most of the players will actually be having their first outing at the North Stars ground, which is not a regular venue for matches in the Barbados Cricket Association's competitions.

Both teams have minor injury worries surrounding a key player, with the Barbados camp hoping that captain and leading batsman Ryan Hinds is fully fit after a groin strain kept him from fielding on Sunday. Manager Darnley Boxill said that all players were now available for selection.

Hinds, who played in this year's Busta Cup regional first-class competition, has been in outstanding form with scores of 124, 42 and 91 in his three innings for an average of 128.50.

Left-handed opener Jason Haynes, who is averaging 57.50, is the only other Barbadian front-line batsman who has been among the runs consistently.

Hinds and Haynes will need to play significant roles against the penetrative Jamaican bowling attack, which is spearheaded by fiery fast bowler Germaine Lawson.

'Hinds has shown that he is a class above the rest,' said Boxill. 'It is good to see him dominating at this level and his captaincy is coming on as well.'

Lawson has taken a tournament-high 21 wickets at 8.71 runs apiece, including a ten-wicket match haul in Jamaica's victory in one day against Canada, when he claimed a hat-trick.

His new-ball partner, Kamal Dennis, did not bowl in Canada's second innings after sustaining a soft tissue injury to his heel, but team manager Lynden Wright said he would be fit to take his place in the side.

These two will be supported by all-rounder Marlon Samuels, whose off-spin bowling has earned him 11 wickets at 10.54 runs each, leg-spinner Kevin Peart and left-arm spinner Barrington Bartley.

Jamaica's batting has centred around the aggressive Samuels, who has been in excellent form, averaging 81.00 with knocks of 48, 65, 104 not out and 26. He will be supported by tall opener Brenton Parchment, who is averaging a healthy 64.50 from two completed innings, and his partner Glenmore Hall.

Jamaica's heavy-set captain Tamar Lambert has not batted since the opening game against Trinidad and Tobago when he managed scores of 14 and seven and could be somewhat rusty.

Barbados' bowling will once again be in the hands of fast bowlers Callitos Lopez and Antonio Thomas as well as left-arm spinners Sulieman Benn and Jedson Yarde, whose 17 wickets has cost a miserly 8.17 apiece.

'We are not worried by Jamaica,' Boxill said. 'We have the strength to match them, the batters and bowlers, and the one thing we have got to bring on is the fielders.'