West Indies cricket heritage centre opens at National Stadium

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – A West Indies Cricket Heritage Centre was launched at the National Stadium yesterday ahead of the 5th annual Grenada Cricket Classic which bowls off this weekend.

The centre, showcasing cricket memorabilia dating back to the 1800s, is believed to be the first of its kind in the region and is a private venture of avid cricket fan Phillip Daniel.

“We are trying to tell a story of West Indies cricket… how it has progressed and where it is today,” said Daniel who has teamed up on the project with local businessman Hugh Doll.

“We want to make it fun for everybody. Not just to learn about West Indies cricket but Caribbean social history too.”

Items in the centre range from clothing to cricket gear, as well as film shows and interactive games. There are also signed photographs dating back to 1923.

While similar centres exist in Trinidad, Antigua and Barbados, Daniel said those were unique to their island’s cricket history and were not of the same depth and variety as the one in Grenada.

“It stunned me that there is nothing in the region to celebrate the rich and glorious past of West Indies cricket,” said Daniel who relocated to Grenada from England.

“It (centre) will evolve over time. We are looking for new items all the time. We are searching the world, auction houses. It’s really an organic thing. It’s growing and changing all the time.”

Prime Minister Tillman Thomas and Governor General Sir Carlyle Glean were among leading state officials who attended the opening ceremony.

West Indies fast bowling legends Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith also attended the centre’s launch.

“I am very pleased with what I have seen with this heritage centre. Some two years ago the legends of Barbados decided to have a museum and I think it was fantastic. So we have our museum and we feel that it should be a West Indies museum but finances would not permit that,” said Hall, who delivered an hour-long keynote address.

“I just wish to say that I [was] overwhelmed when I came this morning and saw what you have done. Your decision to open this West Indian cricket heritage centre was a great decision for it constitutes a watershed in West Indian cricket history.”

The Grenada Cricket Classic is a Twenty20 tournament involving former West Indies Test players competing against for international players from Australia and England.