DIGICEL and the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) are currently working as a unit to host their Twenty20 first division competition which was launched yesterday at a press briefing held at Digicel’s Headquarters in Kingston. Starting today, April 9, the eight teams, namely Demerara Cricket Club, Malteenoes Sports Club, Georgetown Cricket Club, Transport Sports Club, Police Sports Club, Everest Cricket Club, GNIC Sports Club and the Guyana Defence Force, will face off for the $150, 000 top prize.
The runner-up will receive $75 000 while the third- and fourth-place finishers will receive $45 000 and $30 000 respectively. There will also be individual incentives for outstanding performers at the end of the competition.
The draw to divide the teams into the two zones, viz. Zone A and Zone B, was done at the press briefing yesterday, which according to Public Relations Officer of the GCA, Colin Alfred, was the first time that a drawing was done in the eyes of the public.
Alfred related that it was done for transparency so as to quell objections that are sometimes made by the teams about the way the grouping is done.
Zone A consists of Georgetown Cricket Club, Demerara Cricket Club, Police Sports Club and the Transport Sports Club while Zone B is comprised of Malteenoes Sports Club, GNIC Sports Club, Everest Cricket Club and the Guyana Defence Force with the top two teams from the respective zones meeting to contest the semi-final round of the competition.
Alfred also revealed the reason behind the nature of the competition saying that it will be played in the Twenty20 format as a preparatory step on the lead up to the regional Twenty20 tournament.
He said that he hopes that yesterday’s festivities mark the start of a long-lasting relationship between the GCA and Digicel, as such a partnership will be of great value to the GCA which has a lot of developmental plans for local cricket.
Roger Harper, who is president of the GCA thanked Digicel for their support in sponsoring the competition and also expressed the hope of forming a lasting relationship with the communications giant.
Harper said that he is very pleased with the response that his association received and said that Digicel got on board the instant they heard it was a chance being presented to them to assist in the development of sports and by extension the youths who are involved.
Harper also alluded to the transparent nature in which the drawing was done. He went on to say that the GCA will be striving for excellence so as not to disappoint the sponsor and as such the players will be expected to follow suit.
He reiterated the fact that this will serve as preparation for the regional version of the competition and in the long run the world championship.
Shonette Moore, who is the Public Relations Officer and Events Manager at Digicel said that her company is very excited about the competition and they decided to get on board as soon as they heard about it, as Digicel supports the development of sports and the development of the young people who are involved in the various sporting activities.