Note from the cayman compass June 18-2019
Cayman Cricket will hold its annual Cricket Carnival on Friday, 21 June, at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in George Town.
Organisers say it will be the biggest Carnival to date, with 20 teams, including 12 boys’ teams and 8 girls’ teams, all competing to win the Championship Cup.
The Carnival is supported by the Department of Sport and the Department of Education,. Cayman Cricket has been working closely with both departments to promote cricket in Cayman, not only with schools programmes, but also with tournaments and events such as the Carnival.
This is the first year that girls’ teams will be taking part in the Carnival which is, in part, due to the appointment of Sania Iqbal Khan, formerly a member of the Pakistan international women’s team, as senior cricket development officer for women and girls. Cayman Cricket says her work has resulted in an increase in interest in cricket from women and girls with the new Mothers and Daughters programme.
“The Carnival will be a fun-filled day with all the teams playing an even number of games to see who will take home the Championship Cup, the Intermediate Cup, and the Consolation Cup. There will be a true carnival atmosphere with music, DJ’s, and entertainment throughout the day,” Cayman Cricket stated in a press release.
Peter Anderson, technical director of Cayman Cricket, said, “We are absolutely delighted that so many teams have entered to play in the Carnival this year, and especially with the turnout of the girls’ teams. We have worked hard with schools’ cricket programmes over the years to make the game accessible to boys and girls alike, and it is very encouraging to see so much interest this year from children around 11 years of age. The future of cricket in Cayman is very exciting.”
He added that this year, Cayman Cricket is welcoming a team from the Lighthouse School for the first time, “further showing that cricket is a game for everyone of all ages and abilities – it is completely inclusive and can be enjoyed by all”.
Following the Carnival, the next event for Cayman Cricket will be the ICC Americas Under 19 Tournament early next month, in which the local Under-19 boys team will be playing. Later this year, the Senior National Men’s team will travel to Bermuda to contest the next round of the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers.