Cricket masters to grace the field this Saturday

Cricketers 40 years and older are set to hit the field this coming Saturday as the Barbados Masters G4S Cricket Tournament gets under way.

 

Thirty-Five teams will be competing in the 36th edition of the over 40 tournament, looking to dethrone the reigning champions BNOC Cricket Club Masters. 

 

Speaking at the press launch of the competition, organiser Carleon Brome expressed the excitement and competitive feelings amongst the teams.

 

“The competition is getting bigger and bigger and more competitive and everybody wants to play…”

 

Big names such as Charlie Griffith, Seymour Nurse, Gordon Greenidge and Joel Garner over the years have participated, and the competition has made a big name for itself in regards to not only the high calibre of players, but also the class of competition on the field. This year the big names to be expected are Dale Richards and Floyd Reifer, two players who are in the lower spectrum of the age group, but who are also still actively playing local cricket.

 

Mapp Hill, Princess Margaret Old Scholars and Brereton will be taking part this year for the first time. It will be a 35 over competition, with each match day beginning at 12.30 p.m. sharp, with the hope of giving as much time as possible for each team to bat/bowl the full 35 over standard. The teams will be competing in 4 zones – A to D – and matches will be overseen by the best umpires that the Barbados Umpires Association has to offer.

 

It is expected that the matches will last over the first three months of the year, with the intention of the organisers to have the finals played on April 1. 

 

The organisers have always tried to adhere to a similar time frame, with the constraint that no games are played when the West Indies or the Barbados team plays on the island. The last two finals were played on the home ground of the Isolation Cavaliers, but the venue for this year’s final has not been decided as yet.

 

Brome and fellow organiser Sam Wilkinson both expressed thanks to G4S Security for the continued support given to the tournament. Wilkinson stated that with the help of the company, big plans are in store for the Masters competition next year, including a tour to England and also a featured match where the selected squad to tour England will face a Barbadian U-19 team.

 

Tournament with a difference

Wilkinson also spoke to the media of the purpose of the competition. He was asked about the prize for the winning team, which was $2,500, and he responded that all teams have always been satisfied 

and gracious in the acceptance of the trophy and money. He did however say that the character of masters was such that prize money was not the focus, and that its vision was different from some of the island’s other cricket tournaments.

 

“The character of the Masters tournament must not be misunderstood. The benefits to the country in regards to cricket must be the focus and the benefit to the country must far outweigh the short term financial increase for participation.”

 

Wilkinson further explained that the competition was about giving back what was learnt over the years.

 

“It is about sharing the maturity and experience and giving it back to those who could benefit, and we reward you for such as winners.”

 

With that in mind, the competition always invites all the past Barbadian cricketers to play with the recognition of the value they hold in building up the future of local cricket.