Compliments of the Barbados Nation News

IN SIXES HEAVEN. Sir Garfield Sobers (right) came face to face yesterday with the man who duplicated his big hitting sixes act, South African Herschelle Herman Gibbs (left). The iconic all-rounder was the specially invited guest as Johnnie Walker presented a US$1 million cheque to Habitat for Humanity, earned by Gibbs for smashing six sixes in an over in the World Cup Group "A" match against the Netherlands in St Kitts last Friday. (Picture by Charles Pitt-Grant.)

Kensington Oval in Barbados is taking shape for the 2007 International Cricket Council World Cup, key officials went on a three-hour tour of the historic ground. What they saw was a lush green outfield, a "square" taking shape and a spanking new Garfield Sobers Player Pavilion. Soil and agronomy specialists also carried out tests on the pitch and field. Here, a look at the new pavilion with the nets in the foreground. Inset, Courtney Browne (centre), the cricket operations manager for Barbados, does a turf test accompanied by Winston Reid (left), of the Barbados Local Organising Committee, and Francis Lopez, of the event's sports agronomy team. (Picture by Philip Spooner.Compliments of the Nation News)

AUGUST 2006

	Guyana captain Ramnaresh Sarwan is all smiles Sunday night as he holds aloft the inaugural Stanford 20/20 championship trophy. (Pictures by Randy Brooks.) < Read more >
Texan billionaire Allen Stanford, seeing himself as a West Indian, said: "We have a great product - our cricket - a rich history and legacy. In October 2005 I am going to make an announcement about something that is going to take place one year from now and I truly believe the announcement will be part of the re-emergence of cricket as a world-class, professional sport throughout the region."

Date October 04, 2005 Compliments of the Nation News
by Philip Spooner in Antigua

Read below and discover what some of the the top cricketers have to say about the tournament.

A West Indies dream team has been brought to board, with Allen Stanford pushing the new Stanford 20/20 cricket project aimed at re-energising the game in the region.

The galaxy of stars - Sir Garry Sobers, Sir Viv Richards, Sir Everton Weekes, Clive Lloyd, Lance Gibbs, Wes Hall, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop comprise the board of directors for the US$28 million project.

They will advise Stanford on matters related to the game and how to implement player-friendly programmes.

.Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd (right) being congratulated by billionaire Allen Stanford after Lloyd gave a speech in Antigua "This is a grand initiative," said Lloyd, who led the West Indies from 1974 to 1985.

"One that not just seeks to preserve the rich history of West Indies cricket, but is guaranteed to secure the future well into the 21st century and beyond.

"Comprehensively, this initiative is potentially the single greatest private sector investment in cricket since the Kerry Packer revolution. Like Packer, Stanford has recognised that West Indies cricket at its best has been under-valued and our players have long been grossly underpaid. This is great vision, and the West Indies have a lot to look forward to."

Sir Garry, the greatest player in the history of the game, also endorsed the new project, saying: "This is magnificent; what more can I say? I am very pleased to be part of it. Let's hope our cricket will make the leap forward from here."

The board met with Stanford for the first time on Sunday night and most said they were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the investment.

"These are the men I will be listening to for advice and guidance," Stanford said yesterday at the tournament launch. "They are the ones who brought glory to the region and the world and they deserve to be part of any project to revive the game."

He said the logistics of the tournament would be handled by the board, which would also deal with any team issues and manage the technical aspects of the competition, including the rules and regulations.

philipspooner@nationnews.com

Date March 07, 2006 by Tony Cozier In AUCKLAND Compliments of the Nation News

Bennett King is elated over Allen Stanford's US$28 million investment in West Indies cricket.

"Certainly, the Stanford proposals and some of the things he's got in place actually aid our (team) development as well as aid development around West Indies cricket in general because of the resources they're putting into the (cricket) communities," the head coach said here yesterday.

< Read more >

Caribbean Cricket

Sporting islands

20/20 boosts Windies cricket - Roberts

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) - Former West Indies' fast bowler Andy Roberts has hailed the Stanford Twenty20 cricket project as a huge boost in assisting the development of West Indies cricket.

While praising the Antigua-based Texas billionaire's initiative, the Wisden Cricketer of the year in 1975 and former West Indies coach, chastised the WICB for failing to put the necessary funds in the development of West Indies cricket.

"Mr Stanford is doing it as a business, but in doing so he is helping to develop West Indies cricket, he is putting what the WICB has failed to do over the years, putting money into development of West Indies cricket," Roberts said.

Stanford is launching a multi-million dollar Twenty20 cricket series next summer in Antigua with 19 teams participating, and he is getting ready to disburse more than US$2 million in funds early next year to assist participating countries in developing their training programmes and preparing for the tournament.

Roberts, along with several other former West Indies players, is on the Stanford 20/20 tournament board of directors, and while in Trinidad briefing the national players and cricket officials, Roberts advised the WICB to grab Stanford's US$28 million venture wholeheartedly.< Read more >

Compliments of the Jamaica Observer

HOW THE TEAMS SHAPED UP

Compliments of the Nation News by HAYDN GILL in Antigua July 2006 Barbados, the first of the regional powerhouses to make an appearance in the Stanford 20/20 Tournament, started their quest toward the US$1 million jackpot with a 38-run victory over unproven Anguilla under the lights here last night It could have been more convincing, but it was good enough before an almost packed Stanford Cricket Ground that took on a wonderful festive atmosphere. < Read more >

August 14, 2006 Compliments of the Nation News Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga driving to the boundary during his innings last night in the championship match of the inaugural Stanford 20/20 cricket tournament in Antigua. The wicketkeeper is Tyrell Tull of Guyana. (Picture by Randy Brooks.)