WEST Indies T20 all-rounder Christopher Barnwell, along with his national teammate wicketkeeper-batsman Derwin Christian, will be on show tomorrow when Super-16 action in the inaugural Kares Engineering and Bushy Park Sawmills-sponsored nationwide 10/10 tapeball competition bowls off. Over 942 teams from around the country, participated in the preliminary round of the tournament which culminates at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, on Sunday September 4 with a giga concert featuring Reggae sensation Shaggy.
The Ministry of Education ground is the venue for the matches that will be played in Georgetown and will feature teams such as the Pitbulls, whose lineup includes Barnwell, Christian, Trevor Benn, Robin Bacchus and Clyde Hoyte.
They will be going up against Better Hope XI, who to date have the record for the highest score in the competition, 218 for 3, of which Ricknauth Rooplall scored an amazing 135 not out, which is the highest individual score to date.
Invaders XI, who have been in a number of hot encounters and have played well on the West Coast throughout the competition, will be looking to take their area further when they face East Coast’s qualifiers Ocean XI.
In the female category, Shivita Business College hold the edge against the inexperienced Chateau Margot side and the same can be said for the Trophy Stall lineup that face Golden Girls from West Bank Demerara.
The match between Enterprise Young Achievers and Rising Star XI will be an exciting one, as both teams are well balanced and this game should go down to the wire to decide a winner.
In the Berbice zone, the Port Mourant ground will be buzzing with excitement as Unity/ Lancaster CC take on the Corentyne winner Albion in an encounter which will have exciting young players on show.
Caribbean T20 hero Jonathan Foo, along with Narsingh Deonarine and the Chattergoon clan in Sewnarine and Harrinarine, is expected to be on show for Albion.
On Sunday, Wolf Warriors will attempt to make it through in this format when they take on Cotton Tree Die Hards who have done well by beating the New Amsterdam/Canje zone winners Six O’clock Warriors to advance to this stage.
On the female side, the Rose Hall team, with national female captain and West Indies all-rounder Shemaine Campbelle alongside Erva Giddings, Trishanie Cort, Plafffiana Millington and Melanie Henry, all national players in their own right, are heavily favoured to advance.
In Essequibo where another set of Super-16 matches will be played, Dinesh Joseph and Ravindra Parsram will be on show over the next two days, as the competition winds down.
Over $25M in cash and prizes are up for grabs, with the man-of-the-tournament, man-of-the-match in the final along with the woman-of-the-match in the female final, each riding away with a motorcycle.
Apart from Shaggy, entertainers such as Rikki Jai, Hunter and the Melobugz band from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados’ Peter Ram and Guyana’s very own Mahendra Ramkellawan will grace the stage for the one-night concert.
Fans desirous of witnessing the finals alone are asked to pay an entrance fee of $1 000 while those who wish to witness the cricket and attend the giga concert can do so for an attractive fee of $3 000 for regular seats and $5 000 for VIP.