Many successful softball tournaments have taken place across the length and breadth of Guyana in 2018. Among those are the Prime Minister’s Cup and the Guyana Softball Cup 8, which offered competing teams lucrative cash prizes of $500,000 and above.
Guyana Times Sport asked media personality John Ramsingh his opinion on the growth of Softball cricket; and he had this to say, “Softball cricket will always have a place on the sporting circuit. It is really the first form of cricket we are exposed to as soon as we begin to walk. It is the first choice in many areas, and as such it is very popular. The popularity is boosted, since it’s inexpensive to play. All we need
John Ramsingh
is a ball and anything that resembles a bat.
“Other forms of cricket require gear. The love of softball cricket has seen it taking on an international flare. In fact, in Florida, the finals of the marquee tournaments are played at the international cricket venue, the Central Broward Regional Park”.
Ramsingh went on to state that the popularity of the sport has grown so much that teams from Canada, various parts of USA and Guyana have four tournaments annually. He was referring to the Orlando Cup, Fort Lauderhill Cup, New York Cup and Canadian Cup; 1 each in Guyana and Canada and 1each in New York and Florida.
According to Ramsingh, one of the main reasons why softball draws such a large crowd is mainly because of the overall prize monies.
Involved with the sport, Ramsingh disclosed that there is usually TV coverage and live ball-by-ball commentary via a public address system; but to bring more awareness, he would like to see more matches displayed on television more often. (Timothy Jaikarran)
