The battle for Essequibo’s title begins today, with 16 teams chasing zonal glory and a place in the Lotto/Let’s Bet One Guyana T10 Tapeball national grand finale.
The Essequibo Zone gets underway across four venues, with a mix of current and former national players and some of the region’s leading junior tapeball specialists set to compete under the lights at Anna Regina.
Co-organiser John Ramsingh said the standard of competition has continued to rise as the tournament makes its way across Guyana.
“The standard of cricket we have witnessed throughout this tournament has been extraordinary, and the Essequibo squads are as stacked as any we’ve seen,” Ramsingh said.
He expects the combination of experienced national players and emerging talent to make for a lively weekend of cricket, particularly when the action moves under the lights in Anna Regina.
The Essequibo leg follows two regional qualifiers that produced their own share of drama. Grillmaster Sip N Play All-Stars dominated the Berbice Zone to become the first team to book a place in the national draw, while Mahdia (Movements Family) upset 2025 champions Eccles All-Stars in a high-scoring East Bank/West Demerara final at Meten-Meer-Zorg.
In Essequibo, opening-round matches bowl off at 10:30hrs today at Pomona, Affiance, Hampton Court and the Anna Regina National Stadium.
Among the early fixtures, Aurora Knight Riders face GT Warriors at Pomona, while Riverstown take on Fibreglass Gladiators at Affiance, with the quarter-finals set for later in the afternoon.
The remaining action shifts to the Anna Regina National Stadium tomorrow, where the semi-finals are scheduled for 14:30hrs and 16:30hrs.
Trophy Stall Jaguars and Trophy Stall Eagles will then meet in an exhibition match at 18:30hrs before the zonal final bowls off at 20:00hrs.
The Essequibo champions will join Grillmaster Sip N Play All-Stars and Mahdia in the national grand finale.
There is plenty to play for beyond the title, with Shawn’s Mini Mart backing the zone winner with G500,000,whileJaigobinHotelwillprovideG200,000 to the runner-up. Teams losing in the quarter-finals will each receive G$25,000 courtesy of Scoop Ride Inc.
The tournament will then pause for the closing stretch of the Caribbean Premier League before resuming on September 26 with the Georgetown/East Coast Demerara Zone.
The national grand finale is set for October 11 in Anna Regina.
