… Stadium booked, paid to host matches

 OPCO, the local office for the Guyana Amazon Warriors and stadium officials are set to meet tomorrow to finalise the hosting of CPL matches here although there is no firm commitment by either the Guyana Government or the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

A reliable source told Guyana Chronicle yesterday that the Guyana National Stadium at Providence was booked and paid for to host matches this season but this could not be verified by a senior official at the stadium.

Guyana is in danger of losing the opportunity to host its leg of the much-anticipated T20 cricket tournament, since the paperwork of the home facility for training and hosting matches has been delayed by key stakeholders.

Since the inception of the tournament in 2013, the signing agreement has been an annual feature, but the delay this year could very well be deemed a political one, according to the source.

The source contended that the failure to give any firm commitment to the hosting of matches here could definitely be a massive blow to the cricket-starved Guyanese populace, and the array of spin-off benefits to local businesses.

Last week the CPL released the official fixtures for the 2018 tournament, with the proposed Guyana Amazon Warriors home games set for a venue to be confirmed.

According to the fixtures, the local franchise will play St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on August 9, St Lucia Stars on August 11, Barbados Tridents on August 12, Jamaica Tallawahs on September 8 and Trinbago Knight Riders on September 9, but the venue for those five games are yet to be confirmed.

More so, CPL over the weekend through their Twitter account has posted photos of five teams and their “home” matches with Guyana once again absent.

However, Head of PR and Communications for the CPL, Peter Miller, confirmed to Chronicle Sport last week that there is nothing to be worried about.

According to a correspondence from the CPL, it is all a matter of paperwork that needs sorting out.

Sport Minister Dr George Norton had confirmed to Chronicle Sport that no agreement has been signed, since no document was sent to his office.

The hosting of the CPL T20 games has largely been considered a successful venture for Guyana over the years with figures from 2017 showing that US$14M or G$2.8B was made while hosting four matches.

The games always attract sold-out crowds, and for Guyana not to be a host venue this season will definitely be disappointing.

The league will enter its sixth year and the Amazon Warriors have played in three of the five finals to date but are yet to lift the title.