The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Nagico T20 tournament, the country’s top cricket event, swings back into action over the holiday weekend at Haynes Oval, West Bay Street.

The two-day event, which has now become a permanent fixture on the Bahamas Cricket Association (BCA) calendar, will be held in conjunction with the Guyana-Bahamas Association and sponsored by Nagico Insurance.

Tournament play is slated to kick off on Sunday at 10am, when Guyana takes on the “Rest Of The World” side, followed by the Bahamas against Jamaica at 2pm.

On Monday at 11am, the losers of Sunday’s games meet while the winners play off at 2pm.

This year, the organisers plan to create a true family environment for spectators on the final day, complete with a Junkanoo rush-out, games and giveaways.

 The Bahamas will look to repeat as champions for the third consecutive year. In the 2015 finals, the Bahamas won the toss and elected to bat first. They made 180 for seven in 20 overs to set a target that The Rest of the World was unable to surpass.

Greg Taylor Jr made 54, Whitcliff Atkins 40 and Marc Taylor 32 to set the challenge. For The Rest of the World, Narendra Ekaneyake took three wickets for four runs.

Nagico presented cash prizes of $1,800 to the Bahamas team and miniature trophies for their effort. The Rest of the World earned $1,000 and medals for second and Jamaica collected $700 and medals for third place.

Following the completion of last year’s event, Nagico pledged their immediate support to continue.

Viberg Wiliams, who represented the company said: “It was very intense. We had some drama, we had tensions and we even had a rain break. But all in all, I think we had two perfect days of cricket. We had the right weather and the right ambiance and the right crowd. The performances were just as outstanding. I think this year, it was a step up from last year. We will definitely do it again next year.”

He also said the organisation is known as a cricketing company with the majority of its senior managers having played some form of the sport. They are best known for their sponsorship of the Nagico Super 50 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Nagico puts a tremendous amount of money into cricket because one of the main reasons is we see it as an avenue where people can get together and expend some energy, build some camaraderie and a good corporate event for us to get involved in,” Williams said.

While the company has a strong base throughout the Caribbean, they intend to build on their partnership with the BCA in the Bahamas.

BCA president Greg Taylor said they welcome Nagico on board once again as their principal sponsor of the tournament.

“We haven’t had something like this since the Benson and Hedges tournament a couple years ago, so the Bahamas Cricket Association is extremely proud and excited to form this alliance with Nagico.”

The BCA continues its efforts to increase the local profile of cricket and attract a new generation of enthusiasts with its second major event in the last three months.

In March the BCA hosted the KFC Cricket Festival at Haynes Oval and Windsor Park under the theme “Let’s Grow The Sport”.

Eight teams competed in the six-a-side tournament.