ECCB’s Rockaway Auto Sales cricket starts Sunday

Sep 09, 2011 Sports

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Final could be played under lights at Providence

The East Coast Cricket Board’s (ECCB) Rockaway Auto Sales t20 cricket competition set to commence on Sunday was launched yesterday at the sponsor’s business establishment in Lusignan.
Manager of Rockaway Auto Sales Vishnu Ramjeet, who is a member of Demerara defending t20 champions East Coast Carib Jaguars, said his company was pleased to once be associated with East Coast cricket.
Ramjeet said Jameel Ali, the owner of the entity which owns a sound system, sells vehicles and bikes and rents cars, is a huge cricket fan and loves helping in the development of cricket.

The Eight top East Coast teams will form the Premier League, while 20 other teams will contest the Super League with the finals of both categories tentatively set for the Guyana National Stadium on October 9 with the Premier League finale being played under lights.
Due to the prohibiting cost of uniforms for some teams, the matches will be played with red balls and white clothes before coloured clothes and balls are provided by the sponsors for the teams that advance to the final which will be played with white balls.
ECCB President Bissoon Singh said that while 42 teams are involved in East Coast cricket only the top 28 have been involved in this competition which will also be used by the selectors to pick the East Coast t20 side.
Rockaway also sponsors 35 and 40-overs cricket competitions on the East Coast and plans are in place to also acquire the Stadium for the finals of those tournaments on October 10, the day after the t20 finals.
Singh, a former Demerara Cricket Board President and GCB Vice-President, thanked the sponsors for playing a major role in East Coast cricket development.
“We recognize this wonderful partnership between the East Coast Board and Rockaway Auto Sales and at a time when good sponsors are hard to find this company continues to be a great corporate Citizen. I encourage those in the East Coast Community to show their support from this business entity since a lot of our cricketers benefit from their involvement with us,” Singh, a former first division leg-spinner, said.
Singh said this is not the first year that Rockaway Auto Sales has been sponsoring East Coast cricket but reveled that this year they have extended their contribution to take the competition to a higher level and even have the finals at the Stadium.
Singh lamented that a major problem for his Board is the lack of East Coast Demerara grounds for matches and blamed promoters and those in control of the cricket grounds for having non-cricket events at the venues.
“Only 12 of the 26 grounds on the East Coast are in a playable condition and when we (EECB) try to raise funds to fix the other grounds, promoters organize car and bikes shows and concerts and all sort of events at the good grounds resulting in them being badly damaged. The Lusignan ground, one of our main cricket grounds is a prime example of this,” Singh said.
“We have raised our concerns with those in control of the grounds and even the honorable Minister of Sports Dr Frank Anthony and it is hoped that action will be taken to have less activities that badly damage the cricket grounds and at times make them unavailable for cricket competitions since cricket provides an avenue for the enhancement and exposure of hundreds of youths on the East Coast,” Singh, who toured Suriname with a Demerara youth team in 1987, said.
The sponsors will stand the cost of payment of Umpires, trophies, uniforms for the finalists and entertainment for the final while it was disclosed that cricket gear will be presented to the champion teams and top individual performers at the completion of both the Premier and Super League competitions.
In Sunday’s first round Premier League matches Better Hope host Enterprise at 10:00hrs, Plaisance face LBI at Better Hope from 14:00hrs, Lusignan oppose Ogle at Lusignan from 10:00hrs and Buxton and Strathaven face-off at Strathaven. The second round of the knock-out competition is slated for September 18.
Fixtures for the Super League, which is also set for Sunday, read:-
Mahaica vs Helena 1&2 at Stratevon from 14:00hrs
Lusignan Dev vs Rockaway at Lusignan from 14:00hrs
Calcutter vs Beehive at Calcutter from 10:00hrs
Dundee vs Dutchfore at Calcutter from 14:00hrs
Fairfield vs Golden Grove B at Fairfield from 10:00hrs
Unity vs Lions at Unity from 10:00hrs
Enmore vs Golden Grove A at Fairfield from 14:00hrs
Enterprise B vs Lusignan B at Marshon from 10:00hrs
Marshon vs Buxton B at Marshon from 10:00hrs
Cane Grove vs Mon Repos at Unity from 14:00hrs

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