As St Lucia prepared to conclude the hosting of the third and final One Day International (ODI) match between the West Indies and Pakistan on Wednesday July 24, 2013, at the Beausejour Cricket Grounds, Digicel the ‘Be Extraordinary’ network once again thrilled cricket fans and sports enthusiasts with a rare and delightful opportunity to get up-close and personal with several of their cricketing heroes.
On Saturday July 20th, Digicel’s Chisel Street store in downtown Castries was abuzz with activity as dozens of eager and devoted cricket fans were bowled over with joy and excitement, as they dialogued and mingled with West Indies Captain Darren Sammy; himself a Digicel endorsed Sports Ambassador and team colleagues Tino Best, Devon Smith, Marlon and Johnson Charles.
To the delight of cheering fans, the West Indies players signed autograph photos of themselves, clothing items, caps, bags, books and literally anything fans could get their hands on.
“We know that nothing unites the people of the region like cricket and therefore putting ordinary fans in close personal contact with their cherished extraordinary sporting heroes like Darren Sammy, Marlon and Johnson Charles and the rest of the West Indies team members who were at the store with the Digicel family, is a dream come true for many fans,” says Digicel Marketing Manager Kerchelle Jn Charles.
Commenting on the willingness of the West Indies players to be part of the highly successful activity, Jn Charles says, “As a corporate sponsor it is one thing to make a request of the partners you collaborate with, but the sheer willingness on the part of the West Indies players to want to meet and engage their fan base was truly noteworthy.”
Last month Digicel announced that it was extending its sponsorship of the West Indies cricket team for another three years until September 2016. Digicel’s renewed contract sees the company retaining its title as team sponsor, which includes all the marketing and branding rights for the team.
Meantime, the telecommunications giant has also been announced as top sponsor for the fast approaching Caribbean Premiere League Twenty/20 Cricket competition. Dubbed ‘The biggest party in sports,’ the upcoming tournament has been generating much excitement and will bowl off on July 30 – August 24. Six franchise teams will battle for bragging rights as matches play in Barbados, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.
Matches in St Lucia will take place on August 6, 8 and 10 at the Beausejour Cricket Ground (BGC). The team based here on St Lucia has chosen the name St Lucia Zouks and is captained by Darren Sammy.
Several cricket fans who attended the Saturday meet and greet activity with the West Indies players had added reasons to celebrate, as Digicel provided them an opportunity to dip to win tickets to the CPL matches when they topped up.
A catchy and upbeat ‘St Lucia-Zouks’ theme song sang by Soca artiste Sir Lancealot has been released ahead of the start of the regional competition.
