Prime Minister's Challenge Trophy - Victory for Big Bird's boys

Date September 22, 2005

IT WAS a nostalgic occasion at the Three Ws Oval yesterday as former West Indies fast bowler Joel "Big Bird" Garner rolled back the years in a limited overs cricket match as part of Senior Citizens Month.

Garner's Barbados Cricket Association's team lifted the Prime Minister's Challenge Trophy for the second straight year, defeating a Barbados Cricket League (BCL) by 30 runs in the 25-over-a-side encounter.

One of the star performers in the game, organised by the National Assistance Board, was former Barbados selector Clinton St Hill, who smashed three sixes and five fours in a knock of 57, including 28 runs in one over off spin bowler Leroy Leach.

Reproduced compliments of The Nation News

JULY 2005

	Barbados has decided to back Clive Lloyd for the post of vice-president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) ahead of next month's annual general meeting. Stephen Alleyne, president of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), said Barbados was the second country to support Lloyd, who was first nominated by his native Guyana. The annual general meeting of the WICB will be held in St Maarten on August 6 and 7, where the president and vice-president will be elected. Ken Gordon, the former media manager from Trinidad has been nominated unopposed for the post of president, while Lloyd, a former West Indies captain, will be running against incumbent Val Banks for vice-president. < Read more >
Compliments of the Nation News JUNE 2005 Thank you, 'SHEP': David Shepherd bade farewell to the Test arena with a special gift yesterday. Brian Lara (right) presented the highly-respected English umpire with the bat he used to crack centuries in the two Digicel Tests against Pakistan and Sabina Park and Kensington Oval. It carried the inscription: "Thanks for the service, the memories and the professionalism."
MAY 2005 Brian Lara's excellent form in 2004 earned him three awards to help him dominate the First Citizens Bank WIPA 2004 Awards Function, which was held at the Jamaica Pegasus. Lara, who has been in prime form in 2004, a form which has extended to 2005, won the Test Cricketer of the Year, the 2004 International Cricketer of the Year and a special award for his record breaking 400 not out against England at the Antigua Recreation ground. Lara scored 1178 runs at 58.90, in twelve test matches, with three hundreds and four fifties. < Read more>
	In front of his adoring hometown fans in Trinidad, Brian Charles Lara got redemption with a glorious unbeaten hundred that dominated the opening day of the second Digicel cricket Test against South Africa at Queen’s Park Oval in May 2005.
SHIV CHANDERPAUL and his new-look West Indies team fought like tigers at Bourda, but somehow South Africa were able to claw their way out of trouble and draw the opening Test of the Digicel series. World-class allrounder Jacques Kallis was the backbone of the South African batting with an undefeated face-saving hundred that placed him in the 7 000-run club.

Caribbean Cricket

Sporting islands

On a mostly unrewarding last day, one of the few breakthroughs for the home team was the clear LBW decision part-time spinner Narsingh Deonarine earned against Jacques Rudolph.
IT’S FINAL … It’s The Final ... It’s Barbados. by Haydn Gill 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.

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. < Read more >

Ex - Captain Brian Lara was conspicuous by his absence as West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Teddy Griffith finally put pen to paper at a five-star London hotel adjacent to Lord’s yesterday to seal a five-year sponsorship deal with mobile telephone provider Digicel worth over US$20 million. < Read more >

“Digicel takes enormous pride in becoming the official main sponsor of the West Indies Cricket team. As the number one Caribbean mobile telecommunications provider we are committed to further strengthening our involvement in communities throughout the Caribbean. We believe in the future of the Caribbean and its cricket. Our intention is to enable West Indies Cricket to get back to the top of world Test cricket and to success in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.” said Denis O’Brien, chairman of Digicel Group in London.

O’Brien added, “We will add new energy into West Indies Cricket through our incentives and youth programmes. This will encourage more great performances and foster future cricket legends. Digicel will also be looking at ways to make the game more interactive using our technology and an even more enjoyable experience for the millions of West Indies fans. We are excited about the future of cricket in the Caribbean. Our sponsorship will help enable West Indian cricket regain their dominance of the sport.”

The Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies is to remain true to its name.

The eight hosting venues, chosen by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and announced at a media conference was beamed live back to the Caribbean through CMC radio and television, are all West Indian.

The only two extra-regional bids among the 12 submitted, from Broward County in the American state of Florida and from Bermuda, were unsuccessful. < Read more >

Michael Vaughan’s side is the first English team to win a Test series in the Caribbean in 36 years.

The West Indies, embarrassed by England in the first three Tests in which they crashed to their lowest Test total (47) and their lowest at Kensington Oval (94).

Ex West Indies cricket captain Brian Lara has faced immense and intense pressure and criticism from all quarters since the West Indies defeat by England in the third test at Kensington Oval.

But the captain has vowed he will not raise the white flag, that he will soldier on amidst the personal and team battles.

In this series the champion left-hander’s personal form has matched that of the West Indies team as a whole, and with his men trailing 0-3 in the series many feel he should step aside.

The burden he carried into the match was, therefore, greater than any West Indies captain could ever have known – except he himself.

As he acknowleged, he was once more drinking in the last chance saloon.

“The next five days are very important in terms of my future as captain,” he said prior to the match. “No captain, no team, wants to go down for the first time in their history as losing all their Test matches at home.”

But he had travelled the same rocky path before and he k the way out.

AS he did five years ago, Brian Lara, this Easter week end, once more transformed a situation of deep personal and team crisis into one of critical revival and triumph at the scene of his most celebrated innings.

Lara, the modern game’s greatest exponent of batsmanship took the burden of all his West Indian people on his shoulders and transformed despair into a triumph.

On Easter Sunday the sheer statistical weight of his second triple hundred speaks for itself, as did his first, the unforgettable 375 at the same Antigua Recreation Ground ten years ago that was then Test cricket’s record score.

The Ex - West Indies cricket captain became the first man to make a quadruple-century in a Test innings. Lara’s unconquered 400 proclaimed beyond doubt his status as the modern game’s No.1 player.

Ex - West Indies captain Brian Lara kissing the ground in celebration of his record-breaking score on the third day of the fourth and final Test against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

(Picture by Brooks LaTouche Photography.)

His 400 not out off 582 balls came in just under 13 hours and included 43 fours and four sixes. In doing so, he eclipsed the previous batting record of 380 established just six months ago by Australia’s Matthew Hayden.

It took the side to 752 for five declared – the second highest score in West Indies history and the highest by any country against England.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)

Extracts from the Nation News

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