One Guyana Cricket Cup takes centre stage from November 9

Tapeball cricket will take a new and exciting twist in the coming weeks when the One Guyana Cricket Cup bowls off on Saturday, November 9.
The tournament, unlike its predecessors in this format of the sport, has taken on the franchise model, with six franchise teams already drafting players for their rosters.
The tournament will feature the District Renegades, Eclipse Carnage, West Siders Power Hitterz, West Side Warriors, Village Rams and Tropix Falcons.
During the official launch on Saturday at the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC), organiser Deopersaud Lalta spoke of how the tournament was conceptualised and one special inclusion that is being made.
“The franchise cricket is going to be a next big thing in Guyana. So, we adapt some of the ideas from CPL [Caribbean Premier League], some from IPL [Indian Premier League], and we’re going to make it something of a Guyana franchise cup,” Lalta shared.

He went on to reveal, “I was once sitting down at UG, watching cricket being played there. So, one of the teams was short a player so they asked a female player to play on that team and, to my surprise that female player played better than some of the males. So, when I saw that I thought this could be a whole new thing in the cricket organisation. So, we’re gonna have females playing along with the male players.”
Another organiser, Devon Paul, went on to share some clarity on the inclusion of female players, noting that they would have to play a role in the team.
“It is insisted that they either have to bowl or bat, so it’s not going to be like a one-sided affair where they’re going to be a part of the team and don’t actually help the team. So, they will have to play a very vital role,” Paul shared.
Also present at the launch was Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr, who shared why the tournament has received the Ministry’s support and his vision for its future.
Ramson Jr opined, “The One Guyana T10 [Kares] tournament that you know of already, there’s a space there that plays on community grounds and then finishes at the National Stadium, but we believe, too, at the Ministry, that there’s a space for tapeball to be played on tarmac, especially given that we have two periods of rainy seasons in the country. So, this can fit nicely in that period.”
“This can very well be a once-or-twice-a-year tournament that comes out of the main season and that helps to keep all of the players active,” the Sport Minister further stated.
While a players’ draft was already completed, another mini draft is scheduled for this week to add more players to the tournament. The competition is scheduled for November 9, 10 and 17 at the NTFC tarmac.