Local cricket in St. Vincent and the Grenadines resumes this weekend with matches in the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) First Division competition and the SVGCA Women Super 40 tournament.
At its last meeting, the executive of the SVGC Adecided to resume and complete the local competitions that were suspended in March 2020 due to COVID-19.
The consensus was reached following advice from the National COVID-19 Taskforce, informing the cricket body that they had “no objections to the resumption of local cricket,” the association said.
The letter from Dr. Simone Keizer-Beache, Chair of the Taskforce, further advised that the cricket association should “ensure that all activities are implemented according to your developed protocols and in a manner that protects against the risk of transmission of COVID-19”.
President of the SVGCA, Kishore Shallow, welcomed the new development.
“I am pleased that we can resume cricket and elated at the prospect of completing the season. The suspension was necessary to safeguard the well-being of our cricketers and the nation in what was then very uncertain times. We are now confident that from experience and sound advice from the COVID-19 Taskforce, we can execute cricket tournaments in the current environment with limited risks,” Shallow said.
The cricket president also echoed the need to remain cautious of COVID-19.
“It is still crucial that we act responsibly while we co-exist with the virus. The government and taskforce have done a commendable job thus far managing COVID-19, and we can’t afford to be reckless now. My continued advice to the cricket constituents and, by extension, Vincentians is to still err on the side of caution while we attempt to return to normalcy,” Shallow said.
Cricket will resume with two matches on Saturday in the Women Super 40 tournament.
On Sunday, there will be four quarterfinals matches in the NLA First Division 50 overs tournament.
The following weekend, there will be the recommencement of the NLA Premier Division.