Three Hills Club were the toast of the St Mary cricket fraternity when they claimed the championship trophy at the Maurice Clarke 20/20 Big Bash awards ceremony held at the Port Maria Police Station on Thursday. Jack’s River were the runners up.

Richard Francis, the Three Hills star batsman who cracked a memorable century in the finals, was also named the competition’s Most Valuable Player, while the Most Disciplined Team Award went to the Beaches/Sandals aggregation.

Guest speaker at the awards, Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) President “Billy” Heaven, called on the parish associations to change the way they managed cricket in their areas, urging them to develop a more business-like and professional approach to the sport.

“We need to change the midset in all the associations and parishes,” Heaven noted. “And to this end, my association will be will be looking at the structures and enhancing them.”

Heaven also said the JCA was set to change the structure of the local top league (Senior Cup) in order for Jamaica to be competitive at the regional level and produce players for West Indies and international duties.

He also announced plans for the formation of a six-team Super League made up of the top teams across the island, with a view to having the best players competing against each other. Heaven, however, pointed out that the Senior Cup would still be maintained to allow exposure to a large number of players.

Also speaking at the event was Leston Pinnock, president of the St Mary Cricket Association, who spoke of the growth of the sport in the parishes and the number of competitions taking place. He also used the occasion to launch the 2017 Big Bash, which begins on Sunday, February 19, at Days Mountain.

In the opening match, Oxford will oppose Trinity Land at 9:30 am while, Wilderness and Days Mountain clash in the feature game later.

The 2017 Big Bash Competition is being sponsored by Costley Construction, L P Martin Funeral Supplies, Braham’s Texaco, Scotia Bank, Total Tools and Beaches Ocho Rios.