BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Aug. 08.2018 – THE St. Kitts-Nevis Patriots will be going all-out to go one better than they did last year and win the 2018 Caribbean Premier League title.
After fighting ‘tooth and nail’ to make the finals, the Patriots lost to the Trinbago Knight Riders in a keenly fought contest last year in Port of Spain.
The team recently landed in Georgetown, Guyana where they will lock horns with the Amazon Warriors tomorrow evening at the Providence Stadium.
At a recent press conference to update the media on the squad, CEO of the SKN Patriots, Richard Berridge said that they are looking to have a successful season for the people of the federation as they are about to celebrate 35 years of Independence.
While recapping the successful 2017 season for the Patriots, Berridge reminded that the first few years was a struggle for the franchise, where they failed to make the playoffs. However, heading into the fourth year, the CEO acknowledged that they want to bring the trophy back to the federation.
“The franchise has been something special for St. Kitts and Nevis. It is our only franchise-based team that is on a global stage. We want to build this franchise in collaboration with the government of St. Kitts and Nevis,” explained Berridge.
The Patriots will be led by Carlos Brathwaite and T20 specialist Chris Gayle who transformed the team last year along with then coach Phil Simmonds.
Pointing to the economic impact of the franchise and CPL, Berridge noted that it has been significant for the islands since the franchise relocated from Antigua. He disclosed that for 2017, they saw close to US$16 million added to the St. Kitts economy.
Minister of Sport, Hon. Shawn Richards revealed that over the last several weeks they have been preparing for the staging of the local leg of the tournament.
He acknowledged that there is still “a bit” of work to be done at the facility before the games come into St. Kitts, though the ground is being worked upon.
Further, the Minister stressed that the Department of Sports is doing more than just preparing the grounds for the tournament. It has allowed for the development of cricket locally.
“It is about giving our young people the opportunity to be involved in the game of cricket not just on the local scene, but to play cricket on the regional and international scene,” Richards said.
Since the franchise relocated from Antigua and Barbuda to St. Kitts and Nevis, it has seen several local players in the first team, and others training with the various squads.
“When CPL came to St. Kitts and Nevis first, of course we didn’t have any local players taking part in the CPL games. With the advent of the SKN Patriots that has changed, there has been a next player who has played with the other teams part taking in the CPL.”
This year the federation will have two players competing in the tournament with Jeremiah Louis turning out for the SKN Patriots, and Sheeno Berridge representing the Knight Riders.
The tournament hits St. Kitts’ Warner Park on August 28, when the Patriots tackle the Guyana Amazon Warriors from 6:00 p.m.
