The Port Moresby Cricket Association’s corporate indoor cricket has started today.
Season 7, sponsored by the Port Moresby International Hospital, took off this afternoon despite the light showers.
It was a slow start for day one, but Port Moresby Cricket Association’s vice-president, Charles Amini, wasn’t that worried, saying players are just recovering from the New Year, coming back from leave and sorting themselves out.
They are, however, looking forward to another exciting competition where round robin formats will be played in the respective pools.
“This season, 2019, we started late. We normally start around October at the end of the year but obviously with APEC and Port Moresby Cricket Association having a competition sponsored by Big Rooster for outdoor, including the Central villages and Port Moresby teams, the competition was delayed,” explained Amini.
“We have 26 mixed teams and the men’s competition where we have 22 teams so a total of 48 teams playing across the competition. We started now and we should finish around Easter.
“They’re all divided into two pools. In the men’s we have Lahara and Avala and in the mixed it’s Avurigo and Mirigini. And they’re named after the trade winds in this part of the area, in Motu and Vula language.”
At the completion of the round robin games, playoffs will begin where the top four teams in each pool will face off.
“Everybody still plays for the PIH Cup, but the POMCA Plate is played for teams ranked fifth through to eighth. And the rest of the teams play for the PIH Bowl,” clarified Amini.
Amini further said there are prizes for the best batters and bowlers in each team, as well as prizes sponsored by Oil Search for all the junior participants, those who are 15 years old and under.
He says corporate cricket is for employees, their spouses and dependents.