The tournament which is played with a tennis (soft) ball, will be played at the Garrison Savannah Ground until Monday.

“There has been a lot of discussion over the inclusion of windball cricket into the fold of West Indies cricket and this year’s tournament will bring that one step closer,” Tony Harford of the organisers, Trinidad-based All Sport Promotions Limited, said recently.

British American Insurance Company is financing the tournament in the first major sponsorship deal secured in the tournament, which has grown significantly.

“This event started in 1991 with just 90 players, and now we bring 600,” said Harford.

There are 12 countries that have already entered the competition which offers over US$10 000 in prize money for four categories – traditional bowling, throwing, the fun division for Over-35s, and the ladies division.

Confirmed entries have so far come from Guyana (first-time entrants), Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, US Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, and Barbados.

One of the Barbados teams is the Rawle Eastmond Cavaliers whose squad is: Winston Hope, Philip Haynes, Edwin Best, Winston Clarke, Allan Rogers, Shurland Harris, David Rowe, David Carrington, Patrick Leacock, Pearson Haynes, Sylvester Louis, Kirk Alleyne, Edward Bedford, Noel Broomes, Terry Holder, Adrian Clarke. Manager: Rawle Eastmond; Coach: Ulric Thomas.