BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – The sport loving public of St. Kitts-Nevis was advised this week to turn up in numbers for the upcoming Digicel Home Series Test match between West Indies and South Africa if they expect international matches to continue being hosted at Warner Park.
The West Indies senior cricket team has been less than impressive in their most recent outings, falling early in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament and losing every match thus far in their series against South Africa, causing many cricket fans to turn off their television sets.
Despite the dismal results, the Public Relations Officer for the Local Organizing Committee, Clement O’Garro, said that fans in St. Kitts must show support for the ailing side during the second Test match, which is to be held at Warner Park from June 18-22.
“Our intention here in St. Kitts is to ensure that we’re competitive in terms of the crowds and we want to outdo our competitors as well, so in the future we can have more games here.
“We’re competing against seven, eight or nine other stadiums in the Caribbean for a very small amount of matches on an annual basis. It’s our job here to sensitize the fans toward that. We’re in a competition to get games here and the only way we are going to get them is if the WICB sees we’re bringing people to the park,” O’Garro stated.
In addition to the promise of world class cricket, the organizing committee plans to utilize a number of promotions in public and through local media to drum up excitement for the match. O’Garro stated that among other planned events, ticket giveaways would be held on June 9 and June 16 at the East Park Range ticket office.
Digicel is also expected to bring their usual fanfare ahead of the match with exciting giveaways and promotions.
“From a sponsorship standpoint, you can look out for lots of promotional activities as it relates to cricket. Customers can look forward to giveaways through text promotions and radio promotions,” Digicel Marketing Manager Sharez Laws stated. “We will also be doing some at match activities, so spectators on the grounds can look forward to random credit giveaways, as well as a Catch-to-Win promotion.”
While the main challenge remains drawing fans, the organizing committee stated that all other areas of preparation are moving ahead smoothly as they ready for the teams to arrive next week.
A majority of the local staff that volunteered for the Women’s World Twenty20 matches held in St. Kitts would be utilized for the match, but an appeal to the general public was made for additional volunteers to contact the St. Kitts Cricket Association if they are interested in helping.
Tickets for the match are available now at the Warner Park ticket office, with season passes priced at EC $120, grounds ranging from EC $15-20, stands ranging from $25-40 and the Player’s Pavilion ranging from $30-45.
The organizing committee is currently in discussions with three different companies to have a party stand and details are expected to be released as soon as plans are finalized.
