The West Indies Players Association (WIPA), on Tuesday April 15 2008, launched

the details of its inaugural Regional 20/20 Club Championship tournament.

The details of the competition, which bowls off on May 2nd, and ends on May

11th were announced by Dinanath Ramnarine, the President and CEO of WIPA.


It takes place at Guaracara Park in Trinidad and has been sponsored by Toyota,

TCL Group of Companies, and First Citzens Runners up will receive $300,000TT.

The following is the text of Mr. Ramnarine's announcement.

“Master of Ceremonies, Members of the Head Table ,Members of the Media ,

Ladies and Gentlemen 


“On behalf of the Executive and Members of WIPA, I have much pleasure in

welcoming you to our press conference in these lovely facilities. Kindly allow me

to express our deep appreciation to the management of bpTT for use of their

VIP Box to host this press conference.

“Let me also thank you the members of the media for your usual magnificent

response to, and reports of, our press conference. 

“This conference is being convened to launch the inauguration of WIPA’s

Twenty/20 Club Champions League in Trinidad and Tobago from May 2 to 11,

2008. Champion clubs from Barbados, Guyana, Leeward Islands, Windward

Islands, a WIPA’s Master XI, and seven top teams from Trinidad and Tobago will

be participating. The venue is Guaracara Park. There will be day and night

matches, commencing at 3.30 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. respectively, except for the

opening game which starts at 2.30 p.m. The matches will be carried live on

CNMG and Radio 91.1 FM.  

“Discussions are on-going with Sports Max to have these matches beamed live

on television throughout the Caribbean. 


“The staging of this tournament has been engaging the attention of members of

WIPA for quite some time. The old bogey of lack of funds has militated against

its earlier implementation. However, thanks to the generous support of some

sponsors, I am pleased to inform that we are now on the road to seeing this

dream realized.    

“At this point, it gives me great pleasure and I am confident with this

announcement that it would give the participating clubs greater pleasure that

the winner of the Ist WIPA 20/20 Club Champions League will receive one (1)

million dollars. 

“The runner up will receive a cheque for $300,000.00 dollars. 


“As we look around, we cannot help but notice the tremendous support that is

being given by fans in each territory of our region to our West Indies cricket

team.

“Manifestation of this support could not have been better exemplified than in

the un-bridled enthusiasm shown by the large and appreciative crowd at the

recently-concluded Test and ODI games at this very venue.

“One could have heard the different accents of the various peoples from the

territories locked together in one voice and singing in chorus in tribute of the

team.  

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the captain, management

and members of the team for their outstanding performances and to associate

the Executive and Members of WIPA with the justifiable kudos they have been

receiving from all quarters for their sterling efforts. 

“It should, however, be noted that players from these territories have their

origin from clubs which have discovered, nurtured and supported them as they

ascend the ladder to stardom as proud representatives of a team which has

received international recognition for its performance and the promotion of the

region.  

“Indeed, international cricket in the Caribbean now contributes fairly significantly

to the development of sport tourism in the region, bringing much-needed

revenue to several countries which depend heavily on tourism for the mainstay

of their economy.

“WIPA’s main thrust in organizing this tournament is to focus on building and

strengthening clubs and the communities and constituents they represent.  


“We want to stretch that association to other territories, to develop

relationships between clubs and communities within the region and to engage in

a virtual “twinning, tripling, quadrupling, etc.,” exercise. We want to encourage

competition, rivalry and camaraderie in a truly West Indian atmosphere and all

that goes with this.  

“I am taking the liberty to say that we still do not know much of each other.

Insularity, with all its negative connotations, unfortunately, still prevails at

uncomfortable levels. Of course, misconception persists because of genuine lack


of knowledge to bridge the gap in a meaningful way.

“What a wonderful opportunity this tournament provides to create a beautiful

harmonious scenario among our peoples, and, a tangible demonstration of our

desire to work and play together, and to cherish one another.  

“We want to give further and deeper meaning to the oft-repeated expression

that cricket is the single and most unifying sport of the West Indies, bringing

together people of different cultures, religions, ethnicities and social status. 

“WIPA proposes to concentrate, as part of its Strategic Plan, much more on

community development project, by utilizing our membership to build and

sustain strong communities and creating economic and social opportunities,

particularly in the rural areas.   

“By using cricket and our WIPA membership, it is our intention to help

community-based organizations expand their roles as community anchors with

the capacity to link residents to a wide range of services, including healthy social

lifestyles, education and employment. 

“I would like to thank the sponsors who share WIPA’s vision on this score and

who have literally put “their money where their mouth is”. As you will

appreciate, this is a costly exercise with logistical challenges.

 
“However, with the magnificent contribution and support of sponsors, and the

untiring efforts of members of the Committee which was set up to assist in

running the tournament, we at WIPA feel confident that this inaugural and long-

over-due tournament which is meant to strengthen the bond of friendship

among our peoples and to ensure sustainability of club structure, will be a

success. 

“In conclusion, I would like to thank our sponsors, in particular, First Citizens,

The TCL Group of Companies, Toyota Trinidad and Tobago Limited and our

broadcast partners CNMG for their continued overall support to WIPA and in

particular this annual 20/20 Club Champions league.”