Jamaica ready to host WICB one-day tournament

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Despite heavy rains here recently that caused widespread flooding, cricket officials here has declared the country ready to host the West Indies Cricket Board Regional one-day championship which bowls off today.

“Everything will be in place for cricket on Thursday,” said Dave Cameron, president of the Kensington Club which will host one of the opening matches.

“We are putting all systems in place for the start of the tournament. We have been hosting first class cricket for some years now so we are accustomed to staging cricket at this level. We have the framework in place, so everything will be ready.”

Heavy rains here in recent weeks, which resulted in heavy flooding in some parishes, was a source of deep concern for organisers, especially over the state of the outfield at the respective venues.

Organisers were forced to move the two first games scheduled for Chedwin Park, which was severely affected by the bad weather. Kensington Park was pencilled in at the last moment.

At Sabina Park and Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, two other venues being used, last minute preparations were ongoing as officials spruced up the ground for the Oct 14-24 tournament.

Robert Bryan, chief executive of the Jamaica Cricket Association, said he expected the tournament to be executed smoothly.

“We are in the process of putting in the finishing touches at Sabina Park and Trelawny,” he said.

“We are confident everything will go well. As everyone is aware we had to move from Chedwin to Kensington due to the bad weather, but we have the mechanisms in place so we don’t expect any disruption.”

In the opening Group A doubleheader today, hosts Jamaica face the Windward Islands at the Trelawny Multi Purpose Stadium while title-holders Trinidad and Tobago clash with Combined Campuses and Colleges at Kensington Park.