The sixth annual Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Clico sponsored Under-17 two-day Inter-County cricket tournament was launched in the boardroom of the sponsors yesterday afternoon.
President of the GCB Chetram Singh addressing those gathered, including sales and marketing manager of Clico Venita Bovell and vice president of the GCB Malcolm Peters, thanked the sponsors for their continued partnership over the years in the tournament which will kick-off on September 6th at the Enterprise Community Centre ground, East Coast Demerara.
“Six years have been a long time for any sponsor to continue sponsoring an event in this country. What we have had over the years is a lot of sponsors coming on board for just a few years and then moving on.”
“I think this is a memorable contribution from Clico to cricket in Guyana. Under-17 is a vital team where the youngsters start their developmental process.
This age group bridges the gap between under-15 and under-19 when Clico came on board in 2003 and they are still with us and it is an important competition for us,” Singh stated.
The longest serving West Indies Cricket Board director and GCB president, Singh continued, “A lot of youths would go astray after playing under-15 so we would lose them, but with Clico’s sponsorship we have been able to keep them active leading up to their senior years.
At least all of the cricketers who have gone on to represent Guyana over the past few years have played in this tournament.”
He said further that there will be a regional under-17 tournament slated for Trinidad and Tobago in December and players playing in the upcoming tournament will have more to play for, as there is a chance of them being selected to represent Guyana in this tournament.
Singh also highlighted the recent weather pattern in Guyana which has prevented many competitions from being played but he acknowledged the early preparation some counties have executed already.
He thanked Clico for their continued sponsorship and stated that the GCB is looking forward to a continued partnership with the insurance giants.
Bovell who also addressed the gathering stated that Clico will be pumping over $3M into this years tournament.
“This year’s sponsorship will be done in two parts. In the first part, we will be donating to the GCB, the sum of $1.3M which will be used for the mobilization of teams and expenses occurred with the matches.”
She further stated, “The remainder of the sponsorship will go towards the purchasing of gifts for outstanding players as well as the outfitting of the teams along with the branding of the venue for the final match.”
The competition will feature matches outside of Georgetown, with Essequibo taking on Demerara on the 6th and 7th September, while defending champions Berbice will commence their title defence against the Cinderella County two days later at the Canje ground in New Amsterdam.
The final game will pit Demerara taking on Berbice at Wales, West Bank Demerara on the 12th and 13th September.