Barry Richards is ready to make a fresh attempt to launch a Commercial Cricket League Twenty20 competition this season.

Richards, the league president, received little support for his Twenty20 plan last year and shelved it for 12 months.

But he is been heartened by phone calls this winter and is confident of a successful launch this year.

“I’m ready to give it another shot. I’m really hopeful this time,” Richards said.

“Lots of players have asked me about this season after we didn’t play last year.”

Ideally, Richards would like a minimum of eight teams, but would settle for six, to make his Twenty20 plan viable.

He said his own club, Spring Garden Cavaliers, Jamaican Association and North Village all want to play this season and St David’s have also expressed an interest in rejoining the league after an absence of several seasons.

The Commercial League, which was founded more than 40 years ago, once boasted as many as ten teams but interest gradually waned and Forties, its oldest remaining club, dealt a big blow to its survival by throwing in the towel last year.

In recent seasons a packed programme saw teams play 42-overs-a-side league cricket, coupled with a 40-overs-a-side knockout and a Twenty20 tournament.

Richards decided last year, however, that the old set-up had run its course and decided to switch to just the shortest form of the game in the mould of the popular Evening Cricket League, which has been organised for more than 20 years by Stephen West and boasts eight teams in each of two divisions.

“I am again trying to glean interest from any of the Evening League teams that may want to play three hours of cricket on Sundays.

“I believe it gives us all a chance to play a bit more cricket, but not to the extent that we neglect work or family,” added Richards, whose plan is to play two games every Sunday at Shelly Bay, one starting at 11am and the other at 3pm.

Richards can be contacted at bvr@res.tbinet.bm or by phone at 717-0751 or 705-0751.