Magazine

By Henry Morabang in {CATEGORY} on 18 Aug 2007

By HENRY MORABANG

PNG Cricket Board (PNGCB) have opened up a qualifying structure to allow
more teams and players to qualify for the National Cricket Championship.
The chairman of the PNGCB Mick Nades announced this during the signing of
K25,000 sponsorship from SP Brewery to back the Board to stage SP Lager
Super Series cricket title.

Nades said Port Moresby had been the dominant force in PNG cricket history
and arguably the best organised competition in the country.

With the new structure, the top teams in the elimination process will
proceed to play in the championship.

All five affiliated associations - Port Moresby, Lae, Central, Alotau and
Popondetta - have been invited including five invitational sides - Aroma
Coast, Fairfax, Koita Warriors, PNG Development Squad and Tabubil.
Port Moresby will field three teams, Port Moresby 1, Port Moresby 2 and Port
Moresby U23, Central will have two teams, Central One and Central Two, while
Alotau and Lae one each.

Eleven teams will take part in the qualifying and elimination series which
starts on March 18-19.

Exactly five weeks of competitive cricket will be played from March 18,
culminating with the finals on April 26.
Nades said Port Moresby 1, Port Moresby 2 and Lae were automatically in Cup
division while one vacant spot will be up for grabs by the 11 centres in the
qualifiers.

SP Brewery general manager Nigel Yeo said his company was proud to support
the PNG Cricket Board, this time for the national championships to be known
as the SP Lager Super Series

"This series, we understand, will be used as a platform to select the PNG
national team when the competition reaches its finals during the Easter
weekend," he said.

Yeo said last year, the company was the major sponsor of the PNG Cricket
team participation in the ICC-okayed Malaysian and the Irish Cricket
tournament in their bid to qualify for the World Cup next year.

Source : http://www.thenational.com.pg/030806/sports2.htm

Read more articles in {CATEGORY}, by Henry Morabang or from August 2007.