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ST GEORGE'S, Grenada (CMC) - Grenada's cricket chief has labelled as a "great disappointment" and a "disaster", the poor turnout of spectators to last week's second Test match between West Indies and Bangladesh at the National Cricket Stadium.
Cecil Greenidge, the president of the Grenada Cricket Association (GCA), says organisers did everything possible to turn the game into an attractive event but those efforts proved futile.
"It was a great disappointment. In fact it was a disaster," Greenidge told CMC Sport.
Greenidge said promotional efforts included a pricing structure as low as EC$10 (US$3.8) as well as securing local artistes for live concerts at the venue during the lunch breaks.
"The GCA and the organising committee deeply regret the lack of support by the local sporting public. We did all that was humanly possible to get the public down to the stadium," said a disappointed Greenidge.
"I don't know what the issues were, whether it was carnival, whether it was Bangladesh, whether it was the fact that the so call big players on the West Indies team did not make themselves available or perhaps a combination of those things," Greenidge stated.
The match ended with a day to spare as Bangladesh defeated West Indies by four wickets to complete a rare series victory.
Organisers said more than EC$11,000 (US$4,198) was spent to promote the match locally and of the estimated 500 persons who turned up on a given day, only half were paying patrons.
The GCA was also hoping to raise revenue by selling advertising boards to companies but none of the 35 approached expressed any serious interest even after the price was slashed to EC$1,500 (US$573), significantly down from their original asking price of US$3,000.
"It was not a good statement made by the Grenadian public to the West Indies board because the bottom line is always profitability," Greenidge said.
"Our ability to raise a few dollars was badly hurt because you get two percent from gate receipts but as you know that is almost a non factor ".
Cecil Greenidge, the president of the Grenada Cricket Association (GCA), says organisers did everything possible to turn the game into an attractive event but those efforts proved futile.
"It was a great disappointment. In fact it was a disaster," Greenidge told CMC Sport.
Greenidge said promotional efforts included a pricing structure as low as EC$10 (US$3.8) as well as securing local artistes for live concerts at the venue during the lunch breaks.
"The GCA and the organising committee deeply regret the lack of support by the local sporting public. We did all that was humanly possible to get the public down to the stadium," said a disappointed Greenidge.
"I don't know what the issues were, whether it was carnival, whether it was Bangladesh, whether it was the fact that the so call big players on the West Indies team did not make themselves available or perhaps a combination of those things," Greenidge stated.
The match ended with a day to spare as Bangladesh defeated West Indies by four wickets to complete a rare series victory.
Organisers said more than EC$11,000 (US$4,198) was spent to promote the match locally and of the estimated 500 persons who turned up on a given day, only half were paying patrons.
The GCA was also hoping to raise revenue by selling advertising boards to companies but none of the 35 approached expressed any serious interest even after the price was slashed to EC$1,500 (US$573), significantly down from their original asking price of US$3,000.
"It was not a good statement made by the Grenadian public to the West Indies board because the bottom line is always profitability," Greenidge said.
"Our ability to raise a few dollars was badly hurt because you get two percent from gate receipts but as you know that is almost a non factor ".
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