FOR the third successive year, both Demerara Distillers Limited (DL) through their Pepsi brand of drinks and Ansa McAl, using their Carib Beer, have joined forces to sponsor the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Inter-county Twenty20 tournament which bowls off at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, on Friday.
However, according to Marketing Officer of the GCB, Ramsay Ali, this year’s sponsorship is one with a difference with players being given a match fee, thanks to the generosity of the two sponsors who both forked out $1.4M each towards this year’s tournament. President of the GCB and long-serving director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Chetram Singh highlighted the importance of this year’s tournament which is being used as a yardstick to select the national team that will defend the WICB Caribbean T20 title in early January.
“First of all, let me say heartfelt thanks to both DDL through their Pepsi brand and Ansa McAl with their Carib Beer for joining forces with the GCB to sponsor this tournament for another year.
Certainly, this is a very important competition which cannot be underestimated, as we are looking forward to producing the best team to defend the Regional T20 trophy and at the same time, advance to represent the Region in the Airtel Champions League which will be held in India next year,” stated Singh.
According to the GCB head, the team will be selected immediately after the final next Friday, and will have a preparatory camp, with a view of being better prepared to go and defend their title, the second time Guyana will be defending a Regional T20 title, following their unsuccessful bid to defend the Stanford 20/20 title back in 2008.
DDL’s Pepsi brand manager Alexis Crawford said her company was indeed pleased to be associated with the GCB and to an extent Ansa McAl once again to sponsor this tournament and called on the cricketing public to come out and support the games which will all be a double-header affair on the four playing days.
Like Crawford, Ansa McAl’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Darshanie Yusuf expressed her company’s delight at being associated with the tournament once again, while promising to have this year’s final being contested in a carnival atmosphere.
While the victorious prize money was not disclosed, Ali did say the total sum that would be used for prize distribution including trophies is $500 000 out of the sponsorship budget of $2.8M.
“When you look at trophies and cash prizes, that would add up to anything in the vicinity of $500 000, while we have negotiated to pay all the players from each team a match fee of an undisclosed sum, as we seek to organise this year’s tournament with a difference in comparison to previous years.”
Ali further stated that no admission fee would be charged for the three preliminary days of action, while patrons desirous of witnessing the final will be asked to pay $500 with a marketing drive to fully sensitise the public on same commencing next Friday when both finalists are known.
“We will wait until Sunday to know who the finalists are, following which a meeting will be held between the GCB’s marketing team and a National Communications Network (NCN) team headed by John Ramsingh.
This meeting is being held to formalise ideas in which we can sensitise the cricket-loving public of the teams in the final, as well as to sell the matchup in a bid to garner funds for the GCB,” stated Ali.
The action bowls off on Friday from 15:00 h, with Essequibo taking on the Rest Team while defending champions Cellink Berbice will open their quest to retain their championship against their nemesis Demerara from 19:00 h.