Over 82,000 attend CT20 in Antigua and Barbados
Bridgetown, Barbados – The Caribbean Twenty20 semi-finals day attracted the largest crowd at Kensington Oval for any West Indies Cricket Board event since the Cricket World Cup.
The only larger cricketing crowds at the new Kensington – revered as the Caribbean’s cricketing Mecca – was for the International Cricket Council’s World Cup and World Twenty20 events.
The 14,791 capacity Kensington was sold out on Saturday evening when Jamaica defeated Windward Islands and eventual winners Trinidad and Tobago humbled the home team. The attendance figures even outstripped those for international cricket since the world famous venue was rebuilt for the Cricket World Cup 2007.
Over 8,000 fans congregated at Kensington to watch Trinidad and Tobago blow away Jamaica to be crowned Kings of the Caribbean on the finals night. More than 40,000 fans turned out over the six enthralling nights of cricket in Barbados.
As a result of the overwhelming demand for tickets it was also the first time in years that all the stands at the Kensington Oval were opened to fans. Usually the 3Ws and Greenidge and Haynes Stands along with the Party Stand are the ones opened. The Hall and Griffith and the Hewitt and Inniss Stands are opened based on demand.
The WICB had previously confirmed that total attendance for the six days of the Antigua leg of the tournament exceeded 42,000 with the largest turnout being on Saturday evening when over 9000 fans gathered at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
In total over 82,000 fans turned out for the CT20, with this year’s total attendance figures comfortably surpassing those for the two previous editions of the flagship WICB tournament.