BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Ministry of Sports is set to honour past standouts of high school cricket in its hosting of the 17th annual Giant Malt High School Cricket Competition.
The tournament, which is set to bowl off on Saturday (Feb. 16) at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium, will embark on a new initiative this year to recognise those who made outstanding contributions to the tournament.
Speaking with Senior Sports Officer in the Ministry of Sports, Vernon Springer explained the purpose of this new initiative.
“We have added also a number of features. The Ministry is not just about youth and sports but we are also responsible for youth empowerment, so we will be recognising our cricketing heroes who would have made a contribution to the tournament.”
Sam Brandy, Kieran Powell, Shane Jeffers, Andrew Weekes, Gareth Mathew, Nelson Boland, Elsroy Powell, Runako Morton, Clement Hicks and Edgar Gilbert are the individuals who are going to be honoured.
“The most disciplined team will be given the Sam Brandy Award while the best umpires will get the Andrew Weekes Award. The person with the highest individual score will get the Shane Jeffers Award while the individual with the most runs gets the Kieran Powell Award. The best wicketkeeper gets the Gareth Mathew Award. Best bowling figures gets the Nelson Boland Award and the bowlers with the most wickets get the Elsroy Powell Award.”
In 2012, and for the first time, the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament was given the Runako Morton Award and it is expected to continue this year.
In his explanation of the format of the Tournament, Springer said, “What we are going to do is to bring all of the high schools and the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College to Warner Park for the opening ceremony which will be followed by a Ten10 competition, which is just a gesture in changing up the whole format and to give the parents and schools a chance to see the teams participate and to give the sponsors some mileage.
“The regular competition will start on the 18th with round robin matches of 35 overs right down until March 8. The Semi-finals and Finals will be 50 overs per side.
Springer thanked Carib Brewery for its 17-year sponsorship of the Tournament.
“I want to thank the Carib Brewery who has been with us the entire 17 years for playing their part and making sure the competition continues. The competition has produced two test players in the late Runako Morton and Kieran Powell.”
He went on to explain another initiative to be derived from the Tournament.
“There is a proposal to have a triangular schools tournament in St. Kitts in October. There is a selection panel that is going to pick a squad from the Tournament. This year we already have confirmation from St. Lucia and Antigua to bring the champions school from those countries.”
