By Clifton Ross
PRIME Minister Mark Phillips praised the strides made by the Guyana Softball Cricket League (GSCL) ahead of the upcoming 6th Edition of the Prime Minister Cup T20 tournament, citing the competition as one he hopes will continue to grow from strength to strength with every coming year.

The official launch of softball cricket’s premier competition took place at the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) ground, Woolford Avenue, where the feature address was delivered by the Prime Minister to officially usher in this year’s tournament.

Prime Minister Phillips, during his address, said he was happy to be here again and be associated with the tournament. “It is a big tournament. This is a signature event for us, this is an event people look forward to”, stated the acting President on Sunday.

He noted that it’s impressive how the fraternity ensures that the tournament grows bigger and gets bigger with each edition. With more women teams involved this year, Prime Minister Phillips said he made a special request to have more women on board as it is a huge part of their development too.

“We want to contribute and put our money where our mouth is. We also expect better performances from the women. This tournament must grow as it helps to add to the tourism of Guyana”, said the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, GSCL president, Ian John, called for “discipline and rules to be followed” as he thanked those ahead for ensuring the length of the competition is incident free. John also thanked the government for its unwavering support for softball cricket.

GSCL member, John Ramsingh, credited the teams onboard, the sponsors, the Prime Minister for his support and future support of the matches, as he pointed out that he wishes to attend the tournament should his travel duties allow.

Ramsingh further touched on the importance of having more women involved this year and the possibility of having even more women support for softball in the future.

In a special brief ceremony after, Prime Minister Phillips was given an award on behalf of the members and executives of GCSL, a small yet memorable token of appreciation, highlighting his efforts, support for the fraternity and just wishing him well in life.

Upon accepting the award, Phillips engaged in a meet-and-greet with those in attendance, including players, organisers, media and fans.
Also, participant and former skipper of Farm XI, Patrick Khan, was among the unsung heroes of the day, donating more than $500,000 to further boost the prize money for both male and female cricketers, on behalf of his business, Khan’s Trading, located in Herstelling, East Bank Demerara.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Phillips also doubled the 1st place prize money from $50,000 to$100,000 while the 2nd place purse was increased from $25,000 to $50,000.