The Ministry of Tourism under the guidance of the Hon. John Maginley, Minister of Tourism, partnered with Richie Rich Sports & Leisure and Indigo Events giving you masters, legends and ambassadors on and off the field.  This years 20/20 Masters Cricket Festival was a success.

The fusion of cricket and music brought out locals and tourists alike to enjoy the festivities. The exhibition matches were a great addition to the fest giving the teams a chance to see cricketing legends/greats such as John Emburey, Tino Best, Vasbert Drakes, Kenny Benjamin, Ridley Jacobs and Dave Joseph showcase their talent.  The climax of Saturday night was the legendary Third World performing live on stage playing hits after hits.  The players this year were extremely excited about the new accompaniments to the festival.

On the cricket side, defending champions New York Masters, took a hit in the first match, while the Antigua Masters had an easy victory over Barbados Masters.  However, on Thursday, the climax of the day was when the Defending Champions bounced back to defeat the Mississauga Ramblers by 7 wickets.  The Antigua Masters however, were knocked out of the finals in the first semi—finals by New Jersey Masters with 5 wickets.  The final game on Sunday, New Jersey Masters versus New York Masters, gave the defending champions the opportunity to retain their title and that was exactly what they did.  New York Masters are taking home the championship once again.

In speaking with Austin Hutchinson, Captain of the New York Masters team, after the prize giving on Sunday evening, he expressed his excitement for being victorious once again.  “Its great to win back to back championship” stated Hutchinson.  He gave credence to his team and stated that they have been playing together for over eight years and this contributed to their victory.  Hutchinson has been coming to Antigua for the past eight years and is looking forward to participating in the Fest next year.

The night ended with a prize-giving ceremony; The Hon. Winston Williams - Minister of Sports, voiced appreciation to the organizers of the event and of course expressed heartiest congratulations to all the teams for a ‘job well done’.  Kenny Benjamin and Ridley Jacobs shared the podium presenting the trophies to this year’s winners and runners up.  Tracy Guerrero of Indigo Events, one of the organizers of the Fest gave the final words, expressing her sincerest gratitude for all those who assisted in the behind the scenes planning and organizing. Without the assistance and teamwork it would be not be possible to put on the Fest and give the teams such a great Fest.