CWI gifts Kingston Cricket Club for Christmas

Kingston Cricket Club, the home of Sabina Park, the country's world-famous cricket venue, has received a Christmas gift second to none.

Minutes after enjoying a wonderful lunch on Friday at its annual Christmas get-together, and shortly before a lovely medley of Christmas songs from DiMario and trumpeter Dwight Richards - with an impromptu performance by reggae band Third World's legendary Cat Coore - Dave Cameron, president of Cricket West Indies (CWI), announced a partnership that promises to return the club to its former glory.

To a ringing round of applause, Cameron spoke about the fantastic contribution of the club and Sabina Park to the rich history of Jamaica and West Indies cricket and Cricket West Indies' intention, starting in the new year, of assisting the club with its programme of renovation to the tune of US$800,000.

"All the Test match venues in the region are owned by the respective governments, with the exception of Queen's Park Oval and Kingston Club, and we are going to assist the club in refurbishing its clubhouse, in setting up a gym, and in doing the things that will make people want to be a part of it," said Cameron as the applause continued.

In thanking CWI and Cameron for the welcomed support, club president Alva Anderson, a former national representative at football, hockey, and boxing, said that it was a Christmas gift the club will never forget and that it is one which will enable the club to follow up on its business plan which was prepared some six years ago and which called for, among other things, the setting up of a top-class restaurant which would be opened to the public.

Cameron also announced that a West Indies versus a Rest of the World cricket match will be played at Lord's on May 21 next year with the proceeds going towards assistance for the recent hurricane damage in the region, and in particular, damage to cricket facilities in places like Dominica, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

He also announced that the long-awaited financial assistance to clubs throughout the region has started, with Cricket West Indies receiving the equivalent of 10 per cent of the fee for each West Indian player signed to play in the Indian Premier League, 15 per cent from the Bangladesh Premier League, and with the money then distributed with a third going to CWI, a third to the territorial board, and a third to the club.

CWI has started a "production" scheme in which it pays the equivalent of five per cent of the fee for each player selected to represent the West Indies in Test, one-day internationals, and Twenty20 formats of cricket to the territory, which then passes half of that amount to the club.

Another ringing round of applause greeted Cameron's announcement that for the last three years, CWI registered a surplus of US$1.5 million per year.