– 7 games confirmed for Guyana

GUYANA’s strong fan-base, coupled with firm government support, has earned the country the play-off matches for the sixth edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
This announcement was made yesterday by Hero CPL Chief Operations Officer, Pete Russell during a press conference held at the Guyana Marriott Hotel.

The two play-off matches are scheduled for September 11 and 12 and will see the top four teams from the group stages battle it out.
The winners from these games will advance to the final game in Trinidad and Tobago.
First started in 2013, the Hero CPL is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere.

However, the hosting of the Caribbean Premier League T20 games has largely been considered a successful venture for Guyana over the years, since the games always attract sold–out crowds.

“We have always been blessed with fantastic support in Guyana where the passion for cricket amongst the local population is second to none. We are delighted to be able to bring such significant matches to Guyana for the first time and we [are] sure the fans will turn out in large number,” Russell said.

He added “Obviously, Trinidad and the USA had wanted to host the games, but for us this was really the only place we wanted to bring the games because obviously the fan-base we already had, plus obviously Guyana has been so successful but not actually winning the tournament yet, but getting through to the play-off rounds in the previous five years, so for us it was no problem”.

While the play-off is a one-off venture, Russell pointed out that it is CPL and the government expectations that Guyana will eventually host the finals, since he truly believes that Guyana is a great country to host sporting events.
The CPL Chief Operations Officer was high in praise for Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who he said, was very instrumental in ensuring Guyana earned the right to host the play-off.

Minister Harmon said in a CPL release that “Cricket is such a huge part of our culture, which you can see from the fantastic crowds and amazing support we have seen at Amazon Warriors matches over the last few years. Guyanese fans play an important role in the success of the Hero CPL and we are very pleased that we are able to reward them by hosting these play-off games”.

Meanwhile, in giving an update on ticket prices for the play-off, Russell pointed out that there should not be much higher than ticket prices for the preliminary round.
The tournament has always attracted a global audience and interest this year is set to be even higher as fans across the world continue to be drawn to the high quality action on the pitch and the unique party atmosphere off it. This year also, according to Russell, CPL will be looking much more into fan engagement at the various venues.

Apart from the two play-offs, the local franchise is set to play St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on August 9, St Lucia Stars on August 11, Barbados Tridents on August 12, Jamaica Tallawahs on September 8 and Trinbago Knight Riders on September 9.
The league, which is one of the fastest growing leagues in world cricket, will enter its sixth year and the Amazon Warriors have played in three of the five finals to date but are yet to lift the title.