Limacol CPL unveils fixtures

– the Biggest Party in Sport announces 30 games over 37 days on eight different islands, as the Limacol CPL II countdown begins

The 2014 Limacol Caribbean Premier League, which will run from 11th July to 16th August, has announced the full set of fixtures that will have fans of the Biggest Party in Sport blocking out their calendars with 30 explosive games set to be played in just 37 days.

 CPL II is set to thrill crowds across eight beautiful islands in the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Trinidad and Tobago. The tournament is set to entertain record-breaking crowds both on and off the field, building on last year’s inaugural tournament won by the Jamaica Tallawahs.

Damien O’Donohoe, CEO of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League, said: “It’s a thrill to be able to announce the full schedule for this year’s tournament. Each island will deliver a party like no other, and the combination of world-class internationals and exciting Caribbean talent will thrill the crowds, ensuring that this year’s Limacol Caribbean Premier League will be like no other cricket tournament, combining unbelievable, dramatic action on the field and a unique, vibrant carnival atmosphere off it.”

Week 1 – Grenada Carnival cricket fever hits the beautiful island of Grenada with the announcement that the National Cricket Stadium will host the opening round of games of the 2014 Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL), from Friday 11th July, with all six teams in action over the first weekend.

The National Stadium, which has hosted several West Indies matches since 2002, as well as six matches at the 2007 World Cup, boasts fantastic playing facilities, and will hold the biggest Limacol CPL crowd ever, with room for a massive 16,200 fans each day. The opening fixture, on Friday 11th July, will be Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Antigua Hawksbills, followed by Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel vs Barbados Tridents on the 12th and St. Lucia Zouks v Jamaica Tallawahs on the 13th July.

Week 2 – Guyana/Antigua  The second week of the tournament is spread between Guyana and Antigua, with the Amazon Warriors and Hawksbills both looking to make full use of home advantage.

A packed Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is expected on 17th July as the Antigua Hawksbills welcome the visit of Mickey Arthur and the Jamaica Tallawahs, with coach Tim Nielsen no doubt hoping the mystery spin of Saeed Ajmal can unravel Chris Gayle and his travelling Tallawahs.

Meanwhile, 15,000 passionate Guyanese fans are expected to fill the Providence Stadium as the Amazon Warriors welcome Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in the second game of the day, to be held on the evening of the 17th. There will be a distinctly Kiwi feel for the match, with Corey Anderson and Martin Guptill turning out for the home team, and Ross Taylor representing the Red Steel.

Four further games follow at the weekend, with the pick of the week coming on Sunday 20th July, and a rematch of last year’s final between the Jamaica Tallawahs and the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

Week 3 – Trinidad/Barbados It’s set to be the tale of two Ovals in week three, as the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad, and Kensington Oval, Barbados play host to the next six games of the tournament.

Barbados fans will be well aware of the threat posed by the St. Lucia Zouks in their opening game of the week (24th July), and will hope Kieron Pollard and his Tridents are able to contain the powerful batting threat of Darren Sammy, Andre Fletcher and Brad Hodge.

Kevin Pietersen could make his Zouks debut later that week, against the Red Steel on 27th July. It will be a big weekend for Trinidad & Tobago, with reigning champions the Jamaica Tallawahs visiting Queen’s Park the day before for a fantastic clash between two of the Caribbean’s favourite players, Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle.

Week 4 – Jamaica/St. Lucia With July drawing to a close, the CPL party will show no sign of stopping as it arrives in Jamaica and St. Lucia for the fourth week of the tournament.

Chris Gayle will hope to light up his home ground, Sabina Park, in his first home game of the tournament on July 31st. However, another legendary West Indian batsman stands in his way, with Antigua Hawksbills mentor Sir Vivian Richards hoping to provide his team with the inspiration to spoil the Jamaican’s homecoming.

Kevin Pietersen will discover the passion and support of his home fans when he arrives at the Beausejour Stadium for the first time in a Zouks jersey. Captain Darren Sammy will be expecting the box-office batsman to deliver in three tough games, one of which includes a clash with local rivals, Barbados Tridents.

Week 5  – St. Kitts The penultimate week of the tournament sees Warner Park welcome the CPL for the very first time, as the people of St Kitts and Nevis will get the chance to experience the thrill of the competition first-hand. With the stadium having undergone recent development to enable it to host CPL matches with the construction of state-of-the art lighting facilities, it is sure to be another exceptional host for the thousands of local fans expected from August 7th.

The first three games of the week will give teams the opportunity to settle some scores from the opening weekend of the tournament, with the first three fixtures mirroring those that took place in Grenada in July.

However, tension is set to reach breaking point when the final round of fixtures takes place on the weekend of 9/10th August. Jamaica Tallawahs and St. Lucia Zouks will be hoping for one final push as they both play two games in as many days, including the hotly anticipated showdown between Gayle and Pietersen on 9th August.

Finals Week – St. Kitts The tournament will reach its climax during a packed week in St. Kitts, beginning with the semi-finals, taking place on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th August.

In a change from last year, the first-placed team at the end of the group stage will advance straight to the final, rewarding consistency across the season. The third and fourth-placed teams will meet in the first semi-final, with the winner of that match set to play the second-placed team the following day for a place in the final. The remaining two franchises will then have the rest of the week to prepare, as the Biggest Party in Sport reaches its epic conclusion, with the Limacol Caribbean Premier League 2014 final due to begin at 3.30pm on Saturday 16th August.

Check cplt20.com for ticket announcements and further details.