JCA launches 2010 ‘Cricket Fest’
THE Supreme Ventures Sports Betting (SVSB) 2010 Cricket Festival was launched on Tuesday at the Acropolis Gaming Lounge by the Jamaica Cricket Association.
Supreme Ventures, thorugh its SVSB brand, handed over a cheque for $5 million to the JCA to help with the costs of running the festival.
This collaboration will see teams from Canada, Ireland and a West Indies team battling Jamaica in Twenty20 and 50-over matches, as well as a three-day fixture.
The festival is set to run from April 3-18 and matches will be played at Sabina Park, Chedwin Park, Trelawny Multi- purpose Stadium and the Port Rhoades Sports Club (formerly known as Kaiser Sports Club).
JCA president Paul Campbell expects the event to be a success and believes it will promote the interest in the sport across the region.
“… Events such as the Jamaica Cricket Festival… will take the sport to the next level. We believe that this will re-ignite, recapture and recreate the passion and enthusiasm for cricket in Jamaica, and by extension, the West Indies,” he said.
The JCA revealed that the cost to enter the venue would be $1000 and cash prices totalling $1 million will be up for grabs throughout the tournament.
There will also be “special entertainment” for children.
Minister of Sports Olivia Grange commended the initiative of the JCA and has promised her ministry’s full backing in this venture.
“The ministry of sports fully endorses the Jamaica Cricket Festival 2010 and the JCA will receive some sponsorship,” she said, adding that the government’s sponsorship should fall somewhere between one and two million dollars.
Added Grange: “The president did not have to twist my arm although things are tight. I’m very impressed with the work of the JCA, its leadership and its executive. The great results that we are getting in our cricket are there for everyone to see.
We therefore must give the JCA all the support that we can so that our cricket can achieve even greater heights and play its role in contributing to the resurgence of West Indies cricket.”