Cayman’s national cricket team took on the USA on Saturday as the inaugural North American Cup kicked off in West Bay.
During the 19-27 April T20 limited overs tournament, five teams – Cayman, USA, Canada, Bermuda and the Bahamas – will compete in a group stage, followed by playoffs to determine the champion. Thirteen matches will be played in the tournament.
During the kickoff match on Saturday, Courtney Myles, Cayman Cricket president, told the Compass, “We are grateful to be afforded the opportunity to host such a prestigious tournament. It is something that has been in the making for the last six months and I am glad to know that we have been able to pull it off today.”
He said there has been a lot of challenges and, with this being Cayman’s first time hosting a cricket tournament of this nature, it has been a learning curve.
Myles said Cayman will be hosting this tournament again next year and the plan is for it to be bigger and better.
In the first match on Saturday, the USA beat Cayman, by 79 runs. The match ended with USA 186 for 6, and Cayman mustered 107 for 7 in reply.
Aaron Jones, a USA cricket team player, said it feels good to be a part of the inaugural event, adding that it’s an honour to be a part of the first of anything.
Jones, who is visiting Cayman for the first time, said he believes the islands could become a hub for more cricket events.
“I think the love for the sport is here, the facilities are good and, to be honest with you, it’s not a bad place to have a vacation anyway, so yeah, definitely, Cayman should have some more cricket tournaments coming up,” he said.
He added “As it relates to associate cricket, we don’t play as much cricket as we should.” He believes that new tournament are good for the players and for the growth of the sport in the region.
Former Cayman Cricket technical director, Theo Cuffy, said this event is long overdue, “and if this tournament that starts now is held every year, it will be a good gauge, not only for the Cayman Islands, [but] for the other countries involved”.
With the World Cup qualifiers in July being the next big tournament on the agenda for Cayman, Cuffy said his hopes for the local team’s performance in this tournament goes two ways. “I am hoping for Cayman to finish as high as possible, but, more than anything else, that they use this tournament to gain more experience, understand the game better”.
Conroy Wright, team captain for Cayman, acknowledged his excitement for the organisation making this event happen, adding, “It’s going to be a fantastic tournament.”
Wright hopes that this event can impact the future of cricket in Cayman. He recognised that Cayman, in comparison to larger countries like Canada and USA, has a small pool of players to choose from, but said they are going to work with what they have and make the best out of this tournament.
He added that, though Cayman, of course, wants to win the tournament, the most important thing is to get experience so they can match up and compete with these teams again at the World Cup qualifier in July.
This is a great opportunity for local cricket fans to watch and enjoy some great matches in person, and Myles extended an invitation for everyone to come out and support Cayman Cricket. “This is our time to showcase what we can do,” he said.
The tournament is played in a single round robin format, with each team facing the other once. The final four teams will qualify for the semi-finals on 26 April, with the final being held on 27 April. All matches take place at the Jimmy Powell Oval in West Bay.
Remaining fixtures
Sunday, 20 April
Match 3 – USA vs Bahamas (10am)
Match 4 – Cayman Islands vs Bermuda (2:30pm)
Monday, 21 April
Match 5 – Bahamas vs Canada (10am)
Match 6 – USA vs Bermuda (2:30pm)
Wednesday, 23 April
Match 7 – Cayman Islands vs Canada (10am)
Match 8 – Bahamas vs Bermuda (2:30pm)
Thursday, 24 April
Match 9 – Cayman Islands vs Bahamas (10am)
Match 10 – USA vs Canada (2:30pm)
Saturday, 26 April
Match 11 (1st semi-final) – TBA vs TBA (10am)
Match 12 (2nd semi-final) – TBA vs TBA (2:30pm)
Sunday, 27 April
Match 13 (Final) – TBA vs TBA (2:30pm)