THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is calling on Guyanese to treat the first One-Day International (ODI) match between the West Indies and England, scheduled for Bourda on April 18, as a dress rehearsal for possible 2007 World Cup matches here.
GCB president Chetram Singh noted that this match is of utmost importance to Guyana because the international media and the World Cup Committee will scrutinise its staging, especially since the venues for World Cup matches will be known this year.
This match will, more or less, be used as the key to get us into the 2007 World Cup or the lock to keep us out.
At yesterday’s press conference held at the GCB office, it was stated that security would be at zero tolerance for the match, to be witnessed by hundreds of English visitors.
“We recognise the need for adequate security for the players, officials, and spectators, and we have gotten assurance from the Commissioner of Police Winston Felix, that the police force will work united with the board,” Director of Security for the one-day match Claude Raphael stated.
No guns (licensed or unlicensed) will be allowed into the venue, no glass bottles, no cans, no firecrackers, no ice picks or any other apparatus that can be used in any way as a weapon.
However, the GCB will allow spectators to take alcoholic beverages into the ground, without the glass bottles.
Singh and GCB Public Relations Officer Terry Holder appealed to cricket enthusiasts to heed the rules set by the board, because if properly enforced, they will be used to have more first class matches here.
At the venue, there would be a sterilised area where only persons with tickets will be allowed, with police ranks carrying out checks on any suspicious persons. At the gates mandatory checks will be made, including the scanning of persons and their belongings.
For incidents inside the venue, the gates will be opened onto the ground, so that spectators could go there for protection, to prevent them trying to escape outside which could create pandemonium.
Police dogs will patrol the adjoining Guyana Football Club ground to prevent persons entering the GCC ground through the fence.
Tree spectators will be prohibited from having a bird’s eye view of the match.
Another change from last year’s Australian tour here is ticket booths will be moved from the regular area, to areas already checked, including the Shell Gas Station in Vlissengen Road and somewhere on Oronoque Street.
The GCB officials disclosed that tickets are going quickly with the Rohan Kanhai stand, both upper and lower, and the Lance Gibbs upper stand already sold out.
The English and West Indian teams are scheduled to arrive at 18:30 hrs on Thursday, April 15.
England will be in action twice. Next Friday they will take part in a one-day practice match against Guyana at the Everest ground and they challenge the West Indies at the GCC ground, Bourda, on April 18 in the first one-day international.
West Indies will be practising at the Police Sports Club ground, while the English players not taking part in the one-day match against Guyana could practise at the Malteenoes ground. On Friday and Saturday, England will practise at the Everest ground.
The GCB will entertain the visitors with an evening of exotic dishes from various countries at Thirst Park on the eve of the match.