16 teams confirmed for Inter-School male Windball tournament

– Nine-time champs Covent Garden Secondary aiming for 10th title

Some 16 teams have confirmed their participation in the Christmas Term indoor day/night male inter-school Windball cricket tournament with the first game getting underway this afternoon at the National Gymnasium.

Some of the schools that have given their commitment to participate include Monar Educational Institute, David Rose High, Goed Fortuin Secondary, Uitvlugt Secondary, International Business College, GITC, L’Aventure Secondary, Freeburg Secondary, Central High, La Grange Secondary, Institute of Business Studies, Lodge Community High and Covent Garden Secondary.

The tournament is being jointly sponsored by the AL Sport and Tour Promotions Group in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) and the National Sports Commission (NSC).
The eight-a-side matches have received the blessing of the Ministry of Education.
The matches will be played on a knockout basis and school teams are expected to come from Georgetown, the East Coast, West Coast and East Bank of Demerara.
Meanwhile, the competitions committee stated that all rules governing cricket will be enforced.
However, the only difference will be that instead of boundaries and sixes, runs will be scored as threes and fives respectively.

The no-ball rule will also be in effect.
Additionally, according to the organizer, Alister Munroe, any student who participates in this programme must be attending school at present and any school that plays a child who has not been attending school will be seen to have violated the conditions of play.
In such a scenario, the school will face the possibility of being banned from not only this competition but any other such competitions.
Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, will declare the tournament open at 14:30hrs and schools are asked to assemble by 14:00 hrs.

Some exhibition matches will be played directly after the opening ceremony with the real competition getting into gear tomorrow when the knockout stage will start at 14:00hrs.
Munroe said that it was not too late for schools, who have not registered as yet, to get into the competition as they have until the start of the opening ceremony later this afternoon when the draws will take place to determine each pair of competing teams. (RK)