Pictured (l-r) at the press conference were tournament manager, Orville Hall, Pooran Ramnanan, tournament promoter and former West Indies batsman Gordon Greenidge. Photo by Domenick Rafter
By Domenick Rafter
Promoters and sponsors of this year’s planned cricket tournament at Floyd Bennett Field that may feature many of the top cricket stars from the West Indies and elsewhere, announced some specifics of the two-day event last weekend.
The games, which will be held Aug. 1 and 2, are attracting a lot of attention from local fans of the sport here in New York. The idea for the event came from a similar one that was held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in January.
“We wanted to bring this to the cricket capital of the United States, the New York area,” tournament promoter Pooran Ramnanan said.
Gordon Greenidge, a former star player with the West Indies cricket team, which includes players from 15 English-speaking Caribbean country, including Guyana, Trinadad and Tobago and Greenidge’s native Barbados, was on hand Saturday in Ozone Park to announce plans for the games.
“I wouldn’t put my name to this if I didn’t think it would happen,” Greenidge said.
One issue is lining up the roster of cricket players from all over the world. Ramnanan said the list of participants may change and many players may not be able to commit until the final weeks.
Tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks. It will be general admission with one price.
Tournament Manager Orville Hall said Floyd Bennett Field was chosen over other locations because of the size and the accessibility of the venue, and noted that parking was a major consideration as cricket fans from as far away as New Jersey and Connecticut are expected to attend.
Hall said he hoped the event would help the cricket community grow in the New York area and throughout the country. He said he hoped to bring similar events to other areas with a growing following, such as Texas.
Ramnanan said plans are in the early stages to take similar games overseas as well to places such as Guyana and India.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we are putting the Legends game for Saturday, August 1, on hold until some unresolved issues are clarified. We will update you, no later than this weekend, on the status of Saturday’s game. Sunday’s game is still scheduled to go ahead as planned, and the banquet is scheduled for Friday, July 31 at Antuns in Queens. The promoter of A-Class events apologizes for any inconvenience. We appreciate your support, so kindly bear with us as we work through these issues.