Stanford Twenty/20 tournament set for July

In their heyday they did not receive much monetary rewards but last week some of the region’s cricket legends representing the Stanford 20/20 Tournament Committee took pleasure in travelling across the Caribbean disbursing US$1,900,000, part of a package designed to develop region’s cricketers.

On Thursday, February 9, the St.Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association received its first share of the pie, US$100,000 to be used for facilities improvement, practice fields and other cricket equipment.{{more}}

Buccament has been identified as the park that will be developed for the St.Vincent and the Grenadines leg of the tournament. The same amount of money was distributed in each of the 18 other territories participating in the tournament.

Later another US$120,000 will be presented for the financial support of players and coaches, plus another US$60,000 for the maintenance of facilities.

The Stanford 20/20 Tournament was conceptualized by Texas-born, Antigua-based entrepreneur, Allen Stanford, Caribbean Star’s owner.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, July 11- Sunday, August 13, 2006.

“It is fantastic preparation for the World Cup. Not that the World Cup is 20 August, but the point is as you get competitive cricket then you can adjust…I believe that this type of thing will prepare us so that we will be equally poised to do great things in the world cup,” said Hall.

Hall noted that there is no point having the region stage the World Cup unless the West Indies have a good chance of winning it.

“This programme is going to be a great catalyst for that type of change,” Hall stressed.

“Cricket is a mind game and these icons will be there to show the youngsters how to live. You don’t live by talent alone; the maturity of it, the getting things together. This what the icons are going to do,” Hall added.

Present at the ceremony were Minister of Sports, Glen Beache, Julian Jack, President of the St.Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association and Lennox John, President of Windward Islands Cricket Board.

The Stanford 20/20 Tournament will feature 19 Caribbean countries vying for the top spot and the top prize of US$1,000,000. Structured as a single elimination knockout competition, the second-place team will receive US$500,000. The cricket boards of the top two teams will receive US$200,000 and US$100,000 respectively, which must be used to develop and improve the cricket facilities in those countries.

In addition, the Man of the Match in every game will receive US$25,000 and the Man of the Match in the championship game will receive US$100,000. The Fastest Bowler in each game will receive US$10,000 each game and US$25,000 for the championship game.

Stanford has committed more than US$28,000,000 to cricket in the region over the coming year. At the end of the regional 20/20 competition, a Stanford Super Star team will be selected by the legends to play one match each against two world-class teams to be named. This will be a winner take-all competition and the grand prize in each match will be a stunning US$5,000,000.