Today, Premier David Burt presented Cup Match hosts, St. George’s Cricket Club with a $50,000 donation to assist with preparations for this year’s Classic.
St. George’s Cricket Club President Mr. Neil Paynter accepted the funds on behalf of the club.
The Premier was joined by Sports Minister, Owen Darrell and East End MPs – Minister Tinee Furbert, MP Kim Swan and MP Renee Ming.
CUP MATCH PRESENTATION Remarks by The Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP
Good morning Minister Darrell, Parliamentary colleagues representing the East end, President Paynter:
As the Cup Match holiday draws closer, it is my pleasure to be here with you today to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to supporting this cherished part of Bermuda’s heritage. In the coming days, we will come together as one community to celebrate our history, commemorate the emancipation of our ancestors from slavery on Emancipation Day, and enjoy the joyful atmosphere that only Cup Match can bring.
At the centre of it, all is the Annual Cup Match Classic between Somerset and St. George’s, which will be hosted by St. George’s Cricket Club here at the historic Wellington Oval this year. In the 2023/24 budget, the Government allocated funds to support Cup Match and to help offset the considerable cost of hosting Bermuda’s premier sporting event. I am proud to present a cheque for $50 000 on behalf of the Government of Bermuda to the St. George’s Cricket Club.
This financial support is just one of the ways through which the government contributes to the success of Cup Match. We are also proud to work alongside the hosts to conduct safety checks for the cricket field, ensuring that players and spectators can safely enjoy the match. I extend my appreciation to the executive, selectors, coaches, players, staff, and volunteers of St. George's Cricket Club and Somerset Cricket Club and the local businesses supporting them. We recognise the months of preparation and planning that go into hosting and participating in Cup Match, and we are certainly grateful.
The Annual Cup Match Classic is a testament to the strength of our community, the richness of our culture, and the pride we take in our history and historic figures such as Mary Prince who through her firsthand accounts of slavery in Bermuda ensured the world understood the truth about slavery and made an immense contribution to the abolition movement. We proudly honour one the second day of Cup Match, renamed by this Government as Mary Prince Day.
Each year on Emancipation Day and Mary Prince Day we stand on the shoulders of the Black Lodges and Friendly Societies who united to organise this very cricket match to commemorate the ending of slavery in Bermuda. It is a legacy that we will continue to honour, protect, and preserve for generations to come, just as the Government will continue to support it for years to come.
I wish St. George’s Cricket Club and Somerset Cricket Club the very best of luck, and look forward to a thriving match. And I wish everyone in Bermuda a safe and enjoyable Cup Match holiday.
Thank you.