Cricket association’s Vax 8 to continue next week following rain interruptions

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The ABCA Vax 8 Tournament is slated to continue on December 27 and 28
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By Neto Baptiste

Persistent rain on Sunday forced the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA) to postpone play in its Vax 8 tournament.

The tournament, which was being played at both the Pigotts playing field the Factory Cricket Ground, started successfully on Saturday with 11 teams after PIC Liberta Blackhawks was formed to pull out at the 11th hour.

Vice president of the ABCA and a member of the competition’s committee, Kenny Lewis, said the tournament is scheduled to reconvene on December 27 and 28.

“We still have a number of games to continue and we’ve also sent out a revised schedule, but we would definitely have to utilise both venues in order to make it happen. The tournament has been generating some interest from corporate Antigua and we have a lot of prizes in terms of cash prizes and it would have been nice if people could get it before the Christmas but, unfortunately, it would have to be for the New Year. The youngest keeper, I know there is a prize for that and the youngest bowler and stuff like that,” he said. 

Lewis, who is also president of the CUB Bethesda cricket club, explained that there is a number of preliminary matches still outstanding and that the two top teams from each group will advance to the semi-final stage of the competition.

“If you have two, then you would look at head-to-head, but the fact that it is going to be three and maybe each team would have beaten up on each other, so maybe there is where net run rate would have to come into play,” he said. 

Meanwhile, president of the Liberta Sports Club Kenneth Benjamin explained that the Blackhawks had no option to pull out of the tournament after reports from some players that they were feeling unwell.

“A couple of people called in the morning and said they felt like they were coming down with the flu and we had only registered 10 players. I didn’t know if it was actually the flu they had and I said we are not going to take that chance. A couple of the guys came over by the club and they were waiting but we decided that the best thing to do is call Kenny,” he said.

At the end of Saturday’s play, Pigotts Crushers, All Saints Pythons and CUB Bethesda Golden Eagles were levelled at the top of Zone 1 with eight points each. New Winthorpes Lions and Rising Sun were on four points each, while Newfield are yet to get off the mark.

In Zone 2, Bolans Blasters and Anderson E Carty Empire Nation both have eight points with Jennings and Massy Insurance Combined Schools each on four points. Willikies are yet to get off the mark.

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