By Neto Baptiste
Combined Schools has been omitted from this year’s Super 40 cricket competition scheduled to bowl off this weekend at venues across the country.
Head of the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association’s (ABCA) Competitions Committee, Kenny Lewis, said the body made a decision to exclude the schools-based team after receiving news of their pending tour of England which would see them miss a number of matches on the competition.
“Our season doesn’t normally go into July and August but, this year, with all of the Internationals and everything, our season will run into August. Combined Schools is scheduled to tour England and in fact, I think they would miss about four games, so it wouldn’t really make any sense for them to start a tournament and then forfeit the last four games,” he said.
The competition bowls off on Saturday with Rising Sun facing Liberta Blackhawks at Rising Sun, Bethesda Golden Eagles playing Bolans Blasters at Bethesda, All Saints Pythons tossing up against Pigotts Crushers at All Saints, and New Winthorpes Lions taking on Empire Nation at New Winthorpes. Jennings Tigers receive a bye.
Questioned about the issues of covers for pitches and how it could affect the Super 40, Lewis said the cricket association is still in the process of acquiring adequate covers.
“The covers is not a quick fix, so it’s a situation where we will try our best and in fact, myself and Kenneth Benjamin have actually trying to source some covers for a while now and have actually narrowed it down so the next thing is to try and get the funding to have those covers here for the start of the next season because there is not much we can do about the covers for the Super 40,” he said.
On Sunday, Blackhawks play away to Pigotts Crushers, Bolans host Pythons, Jennings Tigers host Rising Sun Spartans, and Bethesda play away to Empire Nation. New Winthorpes Lions will receive a bye.
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