AS the Parliament of Guyana continues to observe its 70th anniversary this year, a 10-team softball cricket tournament has been organised as part of the celebrations and will be bowled off on Saturday April 29 in the city.

The tournament, dubbed the ‘Speaker’s Cup’ is organised by the Everest Cricket Club where matches will be played including the finals on Labour Day — Monday May 1.

The tournament has attracted 10 of the country’s best softball teams where the stalwarts of the country’s indigenous game will showcase their talents in two categories: Legends and Masters. The Masters category will have players 40 years and older while the Legends category is for players 50 years and older or for the guys who are seen as the true pioneers of softball cricket.

The Masters category will see fierce competition among Regal Masters, East Coast Titans, Success Masters, Ariel Masters and Fisherman Masters while the Legends category will feature Regal Legends, Trophy Stall Lions, Essequibo Legends, Parika Defenders and Vapes Guyana.

Each team will face the other teams in their category in a round-robin league format on Saturday and Sunday after which the table leaders and second placed teams will contest a final on Monday to see who will lift the towering and impressive Speaker’s Cup.

In the opening round in the legends category at Everest CC, pre-tournament favourite Regal Legends will be challenged by Trophy Stall Lions, a team that has been known for upsetting Regal in various competitions in and out of Guyana. While in the Masters category, arch rivals Success Masters take on East Coast Titans in the opening round at the Queen’s College school ground. These two teams have been at each other in the recent past and both will be hunting the opening win and two crucial points.

All matches in the league stage in the masters category will be played at the Queen’s College school ground while the legends will do battle at Everest CC except on Saturday afternoon when the action will switch to the Guyana Defence Force Base Camp Ayanganna ground for two rounds. This switch is necessary as Everest Masters take on an overseas-based side in a feature Over-50 hardball match from 12 noon.

The league matches are 15 overs per side while the finals will be 20 overs per side on the final day of the historic 3-day tournament. The finals will also be live streamed on FL Sport on their YouTube channel.

The winners will also get $250,000 while the runner-up will take home $100,000. The batsman with the most runs in each category will get $25,000 while the top wicket-taker in both categories will also pocket $25,000 each.

In February this year, there was a feature football match between Parliament and the Diplomatic Community which ended in favour of the Diplomats also at Everest CC.

Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir is the patron of the tournament and will be doing the ceremonial bowl off on Saturday at the Everest CC where he is also the president.

It is the hope of the planning committee headed by Tournament Director, John Ramsingh that the tournament will become another permanent fixture on the calendar of events for softball cricket following the Prime Minister’s T20 Softball Cup which is played towards the end of the year among teams in and out of Guyana.

Sponsors of Speaker’s Cup are V-Net Communications, Raj Ace Auto Plus, Coss Cutter Supermarkets, MMD Hollow Blocks and Pavers, ACS Auto Parts, The New Doctor’s Clinic, Rohan Bhojraj, Lisa Gulamoidin, Power Producers and Distributors Inc, Colin Talbot Contracting Services, New Dimension Services, Vishal’s Auto Toy Store, We Care Health Supplies, Friends of Everest Masters, Movements Family, Imtiaz Sadik, M.S. Imports, General Marine Company, JSB Bumpers, Clermont Cricket Team, Mike’s Pharmacy, Two Brothers Gas Station, Right Aid Pharmaceutical, Guybiz Establishment, Rohan Auto Spares, FL Sport, Windjammer International Cuisine and Comfort Inn.