Sir Vivian Richards welcomes Olympic champion Yohan Blake to Antigua

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won a tight third match of The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in front of their home fans at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, defeating Barbados Royals by 6 wickets with just two balls remaining in a pulsating affair.

The Royals are two-time CPL winners and had won the last two meetings with the Falcons but a litany of dropped catches and fluffed run outs cost them in their first outing of this year’s competition.

West Indian sporting royalty met in Antigua when Sir Vivian Richards, Antigua and Barbuda’s cricketing legend and National Hero, officially welcomed Olympic sprint champion Yohan Blake of Jamaica to the country this week.

In a special visit hosted on behalf of the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons franchise, it formed a reunion between the two. They first met in 2019 as ambassadors for the International Cricket Council’s Men’s Cricket World Cup in England. During that tournament they batted together in an exhibition event near Buckingham Palace.

Sir Vivian welcomed Blake to the island and to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium – home base of the Antigua Falcons – who are playing their second season in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League.

Sir Viv said: “I’m delighted to host my friend Yohan here and to welcome him to Antigua. We had a great time playing alongside each other back in 2019 at the launch of the World Cup. It’s wonderful to see him again and I’m delighted he came to the Stadium to see the Falcons. He is one of our finest athletes in the Caribbean, an Olympic champion, and that says a lot.”

Blake said: “Everyone knows I’m a huge cricket fan. I grew up playing and watching the game in Jamaica and I have huge respect and honor for Sir Viv. To walk alongside him, in his stadium, is just amazing. Every time he makes me feel welcome and it’s wonderful to be part of the CPL again this year.”

The events were coordinated by Sabrina Webster, the Head of Marketing and Brand Sponsorships for the Falcons franchise while the activities were managed by Philip Spooner, Head of Media Operations for the Falcons.

“To have Sir Viv and Yohan, two greats of sport and good friends, joining us to support our franchise is a dream for Antigua and for the region. This forms part of the Falcons objective to uplift the game in the country and showcase the excellence of our heroes,” Webster said.