By Neto Baptiste
Cricket Operations Manager for the Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB), Vernon Springer, has revealed that a lack of sponsorship has forced the organization to cancel this year’s instalment of the T20 competition.
The official, while speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, said that following the sudden inability of a major contributor, the board was left with no alternative but to cancel the sub-regional tournament.
“Everything was agreed, and at the last minute the sponsors said they had fallen into some financial situation and they were offering us less than that which we could use to be able to pull off the tournament; so it just was not, at the point in time, feasible enough for us to be able to execute that. It was a signed contract, but like I said, we can’t do anything if they don’t have the money,” he said.
The body last held a T20 tournament back in 2010 under the banner of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association. Since becoming incorporated in 2015 as the Leeward Islands Cricket Board, they have not hosted a T20 competition.
One cricket association, Springer said, has sought to take up the mantle and could be hosting a triangular series.
“The sponsors, based on the budget proposal that we made to them, they weren’t able to come up with the funds required. But since then, cricket St. Martin has decided that based on the funds they have available that they were going to invite a Leeward Islands teams and a Windward Islands team to play against a combined St. Martin and Anguilla team, and that tournament is being proposed to be played on the 14th and 15th of September. They have tried two other occasions before, and it really has not come off, but it is really outside of the Leeward Islands Cricket Board’s hands,” he said.
In 2016, Antigua and Barbuda were crowned champions of the first Leeward Islands Women’s T20 Cricket Tournament held in St Kitts. The Antiguans went unbeaten in the three-team contest.