World Cup Barbados chief executive officer Stephen Alleyne (right), Prime Minister Owen Arthur (centre) and Sir Garfield Sobers showing their delight after Barbados was awarded the 2007 World Cup final.

by Haydn Gill
IT’S FINAL … It’s The Final ... It’s Barbados.

A tense 24 hours, highlighted by heart-stopping and heightened anxiety, climaxed with euphoric island-wide celebrations last night after it was announced that Barbados, the country with the richest cricketing tradition in the Caribbean, would host the final of Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007.

The grand announcement was made by CWC 2007 Inc. managing director, Chris Dehring, at 9:20 p.m. from the Ritz Carlton Resort in the northern Jamaica tourist resort of Montego Bay.

It was met here with jumping, screaming, “high-fiving” dignitaries who had gathered at Sherbourne Conference Centre where Prime Minister Owen Arthur and the legendary Sir Garfield Sobers – earlier named as Icon of Excellence in Barbados’ effort – joined officials of World Cup Barbados Inc. in a huge celebration.

There was an air of suspense when Dehring stepped forward to make the announcement.

“Without doubt, it was certainly one of the most impressive countries on our venues tour … and the country we are asking to take us home, to leave that lasting footprint on the Cricket World Cup … the final of the ICC CWC 2007 goes to Barbados,” he said.

On hand in Jamaica to receive the package was World Cup Barbados chairman, Chris de Caires, Barbados Tourism Authority chairman, Hudson Husbands, and Clyde Sobers of World Cup Barbados.

Jamaica, the only other contenders for the final, could take comfort from the fact they were awarded a semifinal, the opening ceremony and match and the first-round group, which includes West Indies.

St Lucia, Barbados’ partners in a joint-bid, also achieved the desired objective of hosting a semifinal and the first-round zone with England. The other venues hosting six first round matches are Trinidad and Tobago [group with India] and St Kitts-Nevis [group with Australia].

Barbados will also host a Super Eight round of six matches, joining Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Guyana as the venues staging the second segment of the competition.

The announcements followed addresses from CWC 2007 Inc. chairman Rawle Brancker, International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani, West Indies Cricket Board president Teddy Griffith, CARICIOM chairman Dr Keith Mitchell, who is also Prime Minister of Grenada, and ICC venue development director Don Lockerbie.

Compliments of the Nation News