The St. Thomas Cricket Association will host matches between the Leeward Islands and Barbados National Cricket Team, February 12-15, during round six of the Carib Beer Cup Cricket Series 2004. The four-day competition will be held on the grounds of St. Thomas’ Addelita Cancryn Junior High School at 10 a.m. daily, and will feature a special appearance by renowned cricketer Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards.
“I am pleased to welcome these cricket teams to America’s Caribbean,” Commissioner Richards said. “The popularity of cricket is growing internationally, and I am pleased that the United States Virgin Islands has been selected as a destination for the popular sport. We certainly are looking forward to hosting more of these games as the Caribbean region prepares for the World Cup Cricket Tournament in 2007.”

One of the highlights of the upcoming tournament matches on St. Thomas will be a visit from accomplished cricketer Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards. He will be greeted with a special welcome reception organized by the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and the St. Thomas Cricket Association on Wednesday, February 11. The Antigua native played on a number of major cricket teams for more than 15 years before retiring from the sport in 1992. His high-point scoring and athletic agility won him many accolades, including the title of Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1977) and the selection as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century (2000). A special cocktail reception will be held in honor of Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards at Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa on February 13, at 8 p.m. Tickets for the event can be purchased for US$20.

The Carib Beer Cup Cricket Series is a regional sports tournament that brings together the Caribbean’s most talented cricketers. Eight teams representing the following island nations and regions are participating in the series - Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, the Leeward Islands, Trinadad & Tobago, the Windward Islands, Kenya and West Indies “B.” St. Thomas will host Barbados and the Leeward Islands teams as part of the sixth round of the series, which returns to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the second year in a row. Last year, matches were played in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Christiansted, St. Croix.
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