The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) and the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) say it was important to revive exhibition matches between the all-urban and the all-rural teams because the competition provides an avenue for greater exposure and development.

Local cricket’s governing body, in partnership with the high school sports governing body, will select the best players from the recently concluded urban area Grace Shield and rural area Headley Cup tournaments to compete at Sabina Park next month.

The all-rural vs all-urban match was once an annual fixture until it was removed from the sporting calendar in the mid-2000s.

Excelsior High and St Jago High from the urban area, and rural area bigwigs St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and Manchester High, all finalists in their respective competitions this season, are expected to have the greatest representation on the teams.

The matches, sponsored by GraceKennedy, are to be played at the end of June under newly installed lights at Sabina Park, starting with a rare two-day pink-ball game from June 21-22 and a Twenty20 (T20) contest on June 24.

JCA President Dr Donovan Bennett says its return was necessary to help grow in the sport.

“It’s a way of showcasing the best youth talent in the country. It’s an opportunity to have the best players from the [rural area] playing against the best players in Kingston. It’s an opportunity to have [national] selectors seeing the best playing against the best,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“We also have to enhance the entire schoolboy experience. It’s a game that players from both the [rural area] and Kingston look forward to every year and it’s all a part of our rekindling and redeveloping schoolboy cricket.”

ISSA’s chairman for rural cricket George Henry says the matches could prove that cricket is alive and well among the youth despite longstanding concerns about its future.

“I’m sure some hungry spectators who want to see cricket will be there to see what we’ve been producing at the schoolboy level. This will give, not only the rural players the opportunity but players from the urban areas to showcase their talent and remind us who are hungry for the game that the game is not dead. There are many people who believe cricket is dying — some believe it’s dead — because we aren’t having enough of these [matches] at Sabina Park,” Henry told the
Observer.

“The youngsters are the future so having them on show, putting them in the limelight where I’m sure the media will be interested in covering will give many of them the opportunity to show, even the selectors, that they’re trying their best that they too represent the national team.”

Henry also believes the national teams, run by the JCA, will also benefit from the games next month.

“Giving the players the opportunity to be involved in what I would call the crème de la crème of the schoolboy season where the best would be put on show and the best would be selected as a means of impressing the JCA because the JCA depends a lot on our cricket at ISSA,” he said.

The winner of the two-day game will receive the John Pottinger Cup and the T20 winner will be given a trophy named after former GraceKennedy Group CEO Don Wehby.