Leading English county players, a Barbados XI and some of the region’s best young cricketers will clash in an international Twenty/20 Tournament at Kensington Ovalon Saturday and Sunday.
Players from Yorkshire, Hampshire, Warwrickshire, Derbyshire and Essex are taking part in the tournament, along with Barbados, Combined Campuses and a Ministerof Tourism XI.
Four matches are scheduled each day, starting at 9 a.m. and concluding around 10 p.m. Among the sponsors are Banks, the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA), the Tourism Development Corporation and British High Commission.
“These teams take their cricket seriously and we are anticipating some exciting games, which would provide good entertainment for the whole family to come out,” said Gregory Armstrong, BTA Sports Tourism manager.
The tournament will be a major competition element of the 2011 pre-season training programme of the English clubs organised by the BTA. They will spend close to three weeks on the island.
Armstrong, tournament director Warren Rumsey, Hampshire’s captain Dominic Cork, and KOMI chief executive Henry Inniss were among those who updated the media on the programm, during a Press conference at Kensington Oval.
Rumsey, the son of legendary cricket tours coordinator Fred Rumsey, praised the BTA for its commitment to the annual programme. He said it was more than cricket, as it presented opportunities for interaction and further exposure for Barbados.
He also reported that coaching programmes with local schools and development attachments for promising young players were all part of the 2011 training programme.
Hampshire players, led by former England all-rounder Dominic Cork, were the first to arrive and have been in the nets at Kensington Oval.
Yorkshire are due today and the other three English teams should all be in Barbados by Wednesday.
Apart from the 20/20 tournament, the visiting clubs will also be involved in tour matches at Windward, North Stars and Carlton grounds.
