The landscape of Caribbean tapeball is set for its most lucrative chapter yet as FL Sport officially unveiled the schedule and a significantly bolstered prize structure for the fourth season of the One Guyana T10 Tapeball Blast.
The tournament is scheduled to bowl off on the weekend of August 8-9, culminating in a national grand finale on October 11 at the new Anna Regina National Stadium.
The competition begins in Berbice, which will maintain a 16-team cap for its opening leg. This will be followed by the East Bank/West Demerara zone on August 15-16 and the Essequibo zone on August 22-23.
In a strategic scheduling move, the tournament will observe a hiatus to accommodate preparations for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in Guyana, resuming only after the CPL concludes with a revamped format for the Georgetown/East Coast Demerara Zone.
Moving away from the traditional compact two-day schedule for the capital region, organisers have extended the Georgetown/East Coast leg to four playing dates.
The Round-of-32 and Round-of-16 are slated for September 26-27, while the quarterfinals and zone finals will take place on October 3 and 4.
This structured build-up ensures a high-octane lead-in to the national finals in Region Two.
Tournament Director John Ramsingh expressed high expectations for the upcoming season, noting that the “cricket extravaganza” continues to grow in both popularity and prestige.
Ramsingh emphasised the commitment to bringing the game to the people, noting that registration is open to any team for any zone.
While match venues are being finalised with an eye toward utilising the country’s premier facilities, the organisers confirmed that admission for all fans will remain free of charge.
The financial stakes for Season IV have reached unprecedented levels for the format as FL Sport has introduced a tiered payout structure designed to professionalise the tournament and reward teams for deep runs.
Each zone winner will now pocket $500,000, with those teams advancing to the National Finals to compete for a $2 million top prize.
The revamped structure means the national champion will walk away with $2.5 million, while the national runner-up stands to earn $1.5 million.
In a bid to remain player-centred, rewards have been expanded even for those who fall short of the podium. Losing finalists at the zone level will receive $200,000; semi-finalists will earn $50,000; and, for the first time in the tournament’s history, losing quarter-finalists will receive $25,000.
Beyond the domestic glory, the stakes are further heightened by the announcement that zone winners will earn an automatic qualifying spot in the upcoming Global T10 Tapeball tournament.
Individual brilliance will be handsomely compensated with a comprehensive suite of awards. The tournament MVP will receive $150,000 and a motorbike, while the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker will each earn $100,000 plus a television.
Additional cash incentives are set for the Player-of-the-Final, the best economy rate, and the highest strike rate, alongside various non-monetary prizes for statistical leaders in boundaries and dot balls.
Registration for the 80-team straight knockout tournament is scheduled to go live on Friday, May 8, with an entry fee of $35,000 per team.
Organisers have reminded prospective participants that spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, with payment serving as the only confirmation of a team’s place in the most anticipated tapeball event of the year.
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