… Shaggy to headline Kares Caribbean Bacchanal
CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of Kares Engineering and Bushy Park Sawmills (KEBPS), Radesh Rameshwar, yesterday told a media briefing at the Georgetown Cricket Club pavilion, his nationwide 10/10 tapeball tournament which got under way on July 9 and culminates on September 4, is not here to compete with anyone. On the same note, Rameshwar who was flanked by some members of his organising committee, informed that popular Jamaican Reggae artist Shaggy, along with his band, will be headlining the tournament’s giga concert  dubbed Kares Caribbean Bacchanal, which is scheduled to take place after the final at the Guyana National Stadium.
“I want to make this crystal clear. The Kares-sponsored 10/10 tapeball tournament is not here to compete with anyone. We are looking to work with our competitors towards building a partnership with the view of developing sports in Guyana.”
Asked to comment on the progress of the tournament which is in its inaugural year and is being sponsored to the tune of $25M, Rameshwar said the games are going ahead as scheduled despite the inclement weather.
“I must say that I am overwhelmingly impressed at the stage the competition has reached, where over 590 games have been completed, while six zone finalists were to be identified this weekend and with regard to the response from the public, that has been overwhelming.
We were in Charity a few weeks ago and noticed spectators coming from Pomeroon and other hinterland villages, in support of their respective teams who were competing on that day. That is why I have decided to sponsor the giga concert, as a way of saying thank you,” said Rameshwar.
He added, “Judging from some of the matches that have been played to date, the eight which will be played on the final day of the tournament, will be exciting and entertaining for the fans that will throng the venue in support of their teams and I anticipate a packed venue on that day when the action bowls off at 09:00hrs.
We will be playing the schools final in both the male and female categories, along with the semifinals and finals of the male and female open category, following which, those who bought their tickets for both the cricket and show will make their way to the tarmac to have a wonderful time at the concert.”
According to Rameshwar, Guyana is a multi-cultural country hence his organising committee decided to make the show a multi-cultural one, giving the fans a bit of chutney, RnB, soca and reggae from both the foreign and local artistes who will be on show, along with a guest artiste.
“From Jamaica, we will be bringing Shaggy who will be coming with his band, while we will have Peter Ram from Barbados alongside Rikki Jai, Hunter and the Melobugz Band out of Trinidad and Tobago, who will all be performing on one stage in one night alongside some of Guyana’s favourite singers and our surprise guest artiste,” stated Rameshwar.
Tickets for the finals and giga concert are currently being printed overseas and will go on sale at strategic locations within the next nine days, with fans being asked to pay $1 000 for the cricket and $3 000 for the cricket-and-show package, while the price for the show alone is $3 000 and later on $3 500.
Meanwhile, the team winning the open male category will take home $1M with the runners-up collecting $500 000. The man-of-the-match in the finals and the man-of-the-tournament will win one scooter each.
On the distaff side in the open category, the winners will be $500 000 richer and the runners-up will take home $300 000 and the player-of-the-finals, one scooter.
Both the male and female winners of the school category will walk away with $400 000 and the runners-up $200 000, which will go towards a developmental project within the school with the players-of-the-match in the finals of both categories receiving one Laptop each.