– ExxonMobil on board with the Guyana Amazon Warriors
The Guyana Amazon Warriors team were received to their home turf with much pomp and splendour on Friday morning as primary sponsor ExxonMobil took on the job of welcoming the team that have begun arriving.
Officially on board! ExxonMobil Country Manager Rod Henson displays his Guyana Amazon Warriors T-shirt
ExxonMobil is no stranger to the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), owing to the fact that the oil and gas giant has collaborated with the home franchise before. Nevertheless, the company is on board once again, taking up the position of primary sponsor.
At the event hosted in the lobby of the Guyana Marriott, ExxonMobil Country Manager for Guyana, Rod Henson began his remarks with a clear expression of joy at being the primary sponsor for such a power-packed team.
“ExxonMobil is very happy to sponsor and partner with the Guyana Amazon Warriors for CPL 2018; this is our second year actually supporting the team. Last year was fantastic and we look forward to greater things this year,” he stated.
The Country Manager went on to disclose that ExxonMobil jumped at the sponsorship opportunity not solely based on the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ excellent track record on the field, but also for their habit of community service and interaction.
Guyanese Devendra Bishoo having a chat with ExxonMobil Country Manager Rod Henson
“One of the reasons that ExxonMobil was very happy to partner with the Amazon Warriors is that they have a longstanding excellent tradition of corporate citizenship. You guys have done over the years many, many things in terms of mentoring young men and women and motivation speaking and visiting schools, and that’s fantastic,” he said.
Noting that he is anticipating the team’s first game day, which is Thursday, August 9, Henson spoke about the CPL’s tradition of coupling a jubilant party atmosphere with cricket.
“There’s going to be music, food and excitement and we have a really solid team; I’ve already been talking to the team about our chances and I think it’s going to be a fantastic year,” Henson stated.
Aside from the oil and gas company, the American Chamber of Commerce has also thrown its support behind the home team. Joking about doing his homework on the promising team, Chamber President Zulfikar Ali noted that the Guyana Amazon Warriors are well put together and as such, he has placed his confidence in the team.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors team pose with ExxonMobil Country Manager Rod Henson, Public and Government Affairs Manager Deedra Moe, Community Relations Manager Nicholas Yearwood and GAW Operations Manager Omar Khan at the Guyana Marriott on Friday during the media mixer (Carl Croker photo)
“I’m an avid cricket fan and I love this team we have here. It’s a very exciting team. I’ve done a lot of homework on you guys and I know you’ll lift the title this year,” Ali said.
In expressing his gratitude to the corporate sponsors, Guyana Amazon Warriors Operations Manager Omar Khan highlighted the importance of having support outside of the franchise owners. Khan explored all the aspects that cricket has taken on over the years, noting that the support was needed and greatly appreciated.
“A lot of us feel like cricket is just going out on the field and play, but the cricketing world has transformed. As an industry, we need to set up systems where we could sustain our level of participation and being ambassadors of our country. In order for us to do that, we need corporate sponsors to come on board,” the Operations Manager disclosed.
He then went on to highlight ExxonMobil’s contributions to the team, noting that they were entirely grateful. “Last year, we started our relationship with ExxonMobil, and we’re very happy that they’ve come on board; they’ve supported us fully and they’ve been a great help to us, the Guyana Amazon Warriors franchise.”
From a more technical standpoint, newly-appointed Coach of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Johan Botha is of the opinion that the home team have what it takes to bring the title home for the first time. Botha noted that the team would be focused on making it through to the play-offs first.
Newly-appointed Coach Johan Botha interacting with the media
“I think with tournaments like this you need to get into the play-offs first of all, so we need to get into the top four, that’s our first and main goal. Then from there, you’re two or three wins away from winning the tournament and in those high-pressure games, you just have to hope couple of things go your way and hope your senior players stand up.”
The Guyana Amazon Warriors are five days away from opening their Hero CPL 2018 campaign against last year’s runners-up, the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at the Providence National Stadium. They will later play the St Lucia Stars on August 11 and the Barbados Tridents on August 12. After touring the Caribbean and Florida, the team will return to the Providence Stadium to face off with the Jamaica Tallawahs on September 8 and the Trinbago Knight Riders on September 9.
