… impressive ceremomy  to bowl off 2012 competition
THIS year’s GT&T 10/10 Softball cricket competition bowled off, yesterday, at 481 grounds countrywide. It is now a major sport event, staged in collaboration with the Guyana Softball League and Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport. In the opening ceremony at Everest cricket ground on Carifesta Avenue, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Alfred King hailed the event as using a traditional pastime to bring people together.
“It is useful in detracting from social ills,” he said, pointing out that the local telephone company was plugging about $30 million into the venture.
King pointed out that playing cricket using rubber balls has always been a favourite pastime of many Guyanese.
“Imagine GT&T putting that kind of money on our traditional sport. We are proud of GT&T as one of our own.”
King said the number of teams from last year’s 1 200 has been reduced as the organisers sought quality rather than numbers and some teams merged for this outing.
The PS bowled to GT&T’s Chief Financial Officer Royston Rachpaul who hit the ball over the boundary to officially start the tournament.
Rachpaul said the competition has benefits for Guyana, sports and small entrepreneurs who can sell local bats, among other items for the game.
He disclosed that of the 942 registered teams, 117 were females, with some $2M in prizes going to the men’s teams and about $1M to the women’s.
“Teams from Crabwood Creek to Lethem will be playing this weekend on 481 grounds,” he said. Some 18 matches were set for the Everest ground.
He thanked several sponsors in making the venture possible including platinum sponsor Banks DIH Limited, King’s Jewellery World, Cellphone Shack, Gizmos & Gadgets, Guyana Lottery, National Communications Network Inc. and Impressions.
Tournament Coordinator Richard Sukhdeo said fans were not left out from prizes with a Toyota SUV to be won by texting to 620-7388 and providing answers to four questions for a coupon, contained in the $1 000 tournament magazine.
GT&T’s Chief Executive Officer Yog Mahadeo told Chronicle Sport that the tournament was hatched from an idea he had five years ago.
“We tried it within the company with two teams and it worked, so we decided to go nationally,” he said.
The first tournament in 2010 attracted some 500 teams.