Millions of dollars in cash and prizes are up for grabs for the top community cricket teams in the Social Development Commission’s (SDC) National Twenty/20 Community Cricket Competition which officially begins on April 26, 2015 in St Catherine.

Last year, Racecourse Cricket team from Clarendon defeated two-time national cricket community champions Old Harbour from St Catherine in what was said to be the most exciting final in the competition’s eight-year history. There have been mounting speculations and anticipation that these two teams will meet again in this year’s staging of the event.

The SDC prides itself in executing the cricket competition under its sports for development programme which is one of seven major programmes for the organisation. Last year, the competition hosted 323 community teams vying for the opportunity to win cash awards and national bragging rights.

For any community team that enters the competition, they should be mindful that SDC rules stipulates that all winning cricket national teams must give 15 per cent of their prize monies to a major project that will address a need identified in their community.

Racecourse used their prize monies and erected a fence at the St Thomas Basic School, donated a flat screen television and DVD for the Racecourse health centre and tiled the criminal investigative branch CIB of the Racecourse police station. The team has been very instrumental in developing its community space with the assistance of the SDC, local stakeholders and the Member of Parliament for South West Clarendon Noel Arscott.

Registration for the competition is now open and will conclude on Thursday, March 27, 2015 at midday.

The stage is now set for the SDC T20 national community cricket competition, as it has become the only community cricket competition in the island that has attracted thousands of fans. This its ninth year of competition is expected to be bigger and better as it works towards advancing community development through sports, fostering youth inclusion and enhancing positive attitudes towards national development.