New Berbice Zone champion to be crowned in Lotto/Let’sBet T10 Tapeball Blast

The throne is officially vacant and the stage is set for a brand-new champion to be crowned in the Berbice Zone of the Lotto/Let’sBet One Guyana T10 Tapeball Blast Sixteen eager teams are locked in for the exciting Berbice Zone showdown, including last year’s runners-up Corriverton Spartan, along with former zone semi-finalists Grillmasters, Sip N Play All Stars, and Cotton Tree Die Hard. The blockbuster straight knockout tournament kicks off on Saturday, August 8, with opening day action starting at 10:00h across four venues in the county: the Albion Sports Complex, No. 69 Ground, Port Mourant Ground, and Welfare Ground in Canje. Preparations are well advanced for an explosive opening weekend, and admission is completely free to the public across every venue. Announcing the release of the official Berbice Zone fixtures, Tournament Director John Ramsingh highlighted the high-octane format, noting that the straight knockout design will pave the way for thrilling, edge-of-your-seat action right from ball one. Teams will be going all-out as they battle for the G$500,000 zonal first prize and a chance to move on to the massive G$2,000,000 national grand finale. The opening day fixtures promise non-stop drama spread across the region. Over at the No. 69 Ground, Match 1 gets underway at 10:00h featuring No. 70 Village Spartans against Grillmaster Avengers CWC, followed at 12:00h by Match 2 between Champ XI and No. 73 Young Warriors. The victors of those opening ties will clash immediately in Match 3 at 15:00h for a spot in the zonal semi-finals. Down at Port Mourant, Match 4 sees 35 Xplosion take on Grillmaster Sip N Play All Stars at 10:00h, before Match 5 pits Line Path Raptors against Corriverton Spartan at 12:00h, culminating in Match 6 at 15:00h between the two winning sides. Simultaneously at the Albion Sports Complex, Match 7 features Ethan XI taking on Royal Warriors at 10:00h, while Match 8 sees Meera Warriors duel Lusignan Bulls DTP at 12:00h, setting up a quarter-final Match 9 clash at 15:00h between the two winning teams. At the Welfare Ground in Canje, Match 10 starts at 10:00h as Welfare XI host Blairmont Blazers, followed by Match 11 at 12:00h between The Mavericks and Cotton Tree Die Hard, before the day concludes with Match 12 at 15:00h between the victors of those opening contests. Action then shifts exclusively to the Albion Sports Complex on Sunday, August 9, where the ultimate Berbice Zonal Champions will be crowned under the lights. Semi-Final 1 ignites at 14:00h as the winner of Match 3 meets the winner of Match 6. Semi-Final 2 follows at 16:00h, pitching the winner of Match 9 against the winner of Match 12. The two surviving titans will then face off in the grand Berbice Zonal Final at 19:30h to decide who claims the regional crown. In a major departure from traditional knockout formats where early exits offer no financial return, the 2026 edition guarantees cash rewards for teams making deep runs into the zonal stages. Losing quarter-finalists in each zone will pocket G$25,000, while losing semi-finalists take home G$50,000. The stakes rise sharply from there, as defeated zonal finalists earn G$200,000, and the regional champions bank a cool G$500,000 purse before stepping into the national bracket. The ultimate jackpot awaits in the national playoffs, where the crowned national champions will walk away with a massive G$2,000,000 first-prize purse. The national runners-up will secure G$1,000,000, while both losing semi-finalists will be rewarded with G$500,000 each. In a landmark move for the tournament, the national grand finale on October 11, 2026, will head to the Anna Regina National Stadium in Region Two, bringing the ultimate showdown of Guyanese tapeball cricket directly to Essequibo for the very first time. Following the Berbice curtain-raiser, the tournament caravan moves to East Bank/West Demerara on August 15–16, before rolling into the Essequibo Zone on August 22–23. The competition will take a brief hiatus to accommodate the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL), before resuming with the powerhouse Georgetown/East Coast Demerara leg across two weekends on September 26–27 and October 3–4. With remaining slots filling rapidly, organisers have issued an urgent directive to teams in the remaining three zones to finalise their squads and register via official social media channels or direct WhatsApp (+592 635-2235) ahead of their respective deadlines.