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by pltm
(PLTM) - Yesterday, September 11, kicked off the annual Nation’s Cup, which is named this year in honor of the late Peter OBE, the former founder, shareholder, and director of the Road Town Wholesale Trading Limited (RTW).
The opening ceremony, which was originally scheduled for last week but was postponed due to bad weather, was attended by Peter Haycraft’s son and wife - Chis Haycraft and Penny Haycraft.
Chris Haycraft expressed how impressed he was by how quickly the 6 teams organized themselves to compete in the tournament. He also pledged his family’s continual support to the development of cricket in the Virgin Islands.
He said that “It is quite amazing how the teams got their uniforms and their individual sponsors - you guys look great! And we look forward to not only this Nation’s Cup but future Nation’s Cups.”
Chris Haycraft also noted that he is hoping to see expansion of the tournament to include more teams in future tournaments. Haycraft actively spectated the two games that were held yesterday and he reminded the teams involved that it was all in good spirits. He said “Let’s have fun, and let’s play fair”.
President of the BVI Cricket Association (BVICA), the Territory’s governing body for cricket, Vajendra Bharat extended his appreciation to the Haycraft family for partnering with the Association and stated that he believes this collaboration will take cricket from “one level to a next” in the Virgin Islands.
“I think we are in for a treat this season. Come out fans, come out supporters and let us have a great time,” Bharat said during the opening ceremony.
Haycraft announced his family’s intention also support to the annual summer cricket camp program, which will be organized by the BVICA, and commences next year.
This camp will offer the Territory’s children of all ages the opportunity to hone their bowling, batting and fielding skills. It will also provide knowledge about the fundamentals of cricket like leadership, the value of determination, planning and cooperation which translate to useful life skills.
The tournament features six teams, including, BVI, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, Dominica, Grenada and Jamaica. Two matches will be played every Sunday at the Greenland Recreation Grounds until the close of the tournament on October 16.
