LOC satisfied with Guyana's venues for CWC 2007
• Stadium to be officially handed over to ICC March 19
Kaieteur News
March 18, 2007
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the ICC Cricket World Cup is satisfied with the ongoing preparation of the two practice venues (Bourda and Everest) and the Guyana National Cricket Stadium at Providence.
The body is confident that everything will be in place for Guyana's leg of the Super-Eight stage of the tournament which starts on March 28. The LOC informed that they are responsible for removing the advertising signs at the two City venues in addition to installing nets, covers, gear for the ground staff and an ice tub in the dressing room to be used by the players.
President of Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Neil Singh, told Kaieteur Sports that while the LOC is in charge of operations at Bourda, his club has given full support. He added that GCC's ground staff is also being used to get the ground and pitch ready for the second phase of the ninth world cup and first ever in the Caribbean.
The ICC, it is understood, is in the process of adding another eight members to those already working at Bourda. “Although we should no longer be hosting international games because of the construction of the Stadium at Providence and we are now looking at other activities to assist in sustaining the club and keeping its members, we intend to maintain the ground in the same way we did in the past for cricket matches,” Singh explained.
He said that regional and local matches will still be staged at the historic Bourda, the venue for the first ever Test win by the West Indies team in 1930, and stressed that whatever other activities are held at Bourda will not be done to the detriment of cricket matches being played their since the club is still a cricket club.
Plenty of work is being done and already the advertising signs have been covered with black paint to ensure the venue is ‘clean' of commercial signs during the CWC practice sessions.
“Those companies who have not committed their advertisement after the World Cup have had their signs painted over while those who will continue to have their signs after the event will not be painted but covered-up during the period of CWC. A lot of companies are still on board while others will talk to us after the World Cup regarding signs at the ground,' Singh informed.
An ICC team will be here on Monday to inspect the progress made at the practice and at the match venue.
ICC's pitch consultant Andy Atkinson is expected in Guyana on March 21 and will spend just over two weeks here working along with the local curators on the pitches at Providence, Bourda and Everest.
The LOC indicated that there are no problems at Bourda and feels the recent rain has even assisted their work since it was planned to utilize the Guyana Fire Service to wet the grounds. According the LOC, the practice pitch at Providence has been completed and instructions regarding the type of preparation required for the pitches have been given to the local curators.
It was also stated that the planned ‘dry run' match has been called off since it would have been too close to the actual event to be staged with the venue expected to be officially handed over to the ICC on Monday March 19.
Bourda is a Test venue and is ready for international teams to start practicing there. Everest, although not as fully ready as GCC, should be ready by next week.
EVEREST
Kaieteur Sport spoke with Nazmal Drepaul a representative of the Everest club, noted that several parts of the ground and its immediate surroundings are being enhanced without the support of the LOC.
Drepaul in formed that the LOC has attached two extra groundsmen to the assist in field work and has removed the delegated boundary board. Much more assistance is needed for the speedy development of the grounds, but the LOC appears to be lagging behind in support.
However the LOC did say that plans have already been laid out for the enhancement of the club. It was disclosed that it will soon build a dressing room for the players expected and install an ice tub for their convenience. Tents and covers have already been set aside for the ground and the groundsmen will be provided with new equipment including, CWC clothing, hats and rain gears.
The LOC has also begun black painting the signs around the ground and internal construction is scheduled to begin shortly.
They also said that they have received compensation claims from both venues for moneys that would have been invested in the development of the grounds for the warm up matches.