St John’s, Antigua – Official figures from the West Indies Cricket Board confirm that fans in Antigua turned out in record numbers to the Caribbean Twenty20 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
The preliminary round of the flagship WICB tournament was played from Monday January 9th to Saturday January 14th with two matches each day – the second played under lights.
The WICB confirmed that total attendance for the six days exceeded 42,000 with the largest turnout being on Saturday evening when over 9000 fans gathered at the SVRCG.
On the previous night just over 8500 fans came out with the other matches being viewed by over 6000 fans each evening.
“The attendance by the fans in Antigua has exceeded all our expectations. The turnout has been tremendous and the fact that attendance numbers every night this year have bettered the best night last year is indisputable evidence that Caribbean T20 is getting bigger year after year,” WICB Events Manager Cindy McLean said.
“We salute and thank the fans in Antigua for their overwhelming support. They came out in massive numbers and showcased Antigua on worldwide television and they have helped Antigua to benefit from wide exposure in some very diverse markets,” McLean added.
WICB Corporate Communications Officer Imran Khan also commented: “The large crowds at the SVRCG tell us that there is a genuine love for Twenty20 cricket in Antigua and that the fans particularly prefer and enjoy cricket in the evenings under lights.”
“With the preliminary round being moved from Trinidad to Antigua it was truly heart-warming to see the fans, including the large Guyanese and Jamaican communities in Antigua, come out and support their teams,” Khan added.
“For six consecutive nights in Antigua we saw a display of true Caribbean unity, for even as the fans supported their teams they also cheered on, appreciated and enjoyed the quality performances from all the teams,” Khan observed.
McLean said the WICB is now looking forward to similar support from the Barbadian public where the second half of the preliminary round matches will be played along with the semi-finals and final.
The CT20 resumes at the Kensington Oval on Tuesday and the final is carded for Sunday evening.
After the Antigua preliminary games reigning champions Trinidad and Tobago and an impressive Barbadian unit look to be the favourite teams to reach the final.