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FROM THE BOUNDARY - What's the matter with the stadium in Trelawny?
published: Thursday | November 29, 2007
Tony Becca
THE REGIONAL four-day cricket tournament gets going on January 4, with the unwise introduction of the Combined Campus and Colleges team. There will be seven teams contesting the Carib Beer Cup and the Carib Beer Challenge for the US$12,500 and the US$5,000, respectively.
That means each team, including Jamaica, will play six matches.
With some matches played at home and some away from home, with the Combined Campuses and Colleges having nowhere to call home and therefore will not host even one match, Jamaica, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands will be hosting four matches each, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago will be hosting three each and Guyana, probably because of the prospect of rain, will be hosting only two matches.
Although there is really no conclusive evidence that the home advantage has decided the majority of matches and most of the tournaments since 1966 when barbados won the first one, there is no doubt that it has been the deciding factor on a number of occasions and even though, because of their weakness, it may not help the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands this time around, it certainly could help a relatively strong Jamaica.
Apart from the advantage of knowledge of the conditions, apart from preparing a pitch to suit their team and apart from the home support, a home team in the regional competition can decide, depending on the opponents, what pitch or what type of pitch a match should be played on.
Whatever the reason, it is four at home for Jamaica - including the first three. It is only two away for Jamaica an Guyana, hosting only the Combined Campuses and Colleges and the Windward Islands, may be cursing their luck, Jamaica and Jamaicans should be smiling.
Hopping mad Jamaicans
There are, however, a set of Jamaicans who must be hopping mad and they are the Jamaicans who live in rural Jamaica and especially so those who live in the west - those who are far removed from Kingston.
Over the years, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) has moved all over the place. It has moved from having all the matches in Kingston to having most of them outside of Kingston. Now, in 2008, they have moved back again to having all the matches in Kingston and nearby Spanish Town.
Despite the fact that the clubhouse at Kensington Park is without a roof, despite the fact that the clubhouse at Chedwin Park is without a roof and despite the fact that a brand new cricket stadium with all the facilities is available in Trelawny, the JCA has scheduled two of the four matches to be played at Sabina Park, one, for whatever reason, at Kensington Park, and one, again for whatever reason, at Chedwin Park.
Just sitting idle
In other words, while Jamaica will be hosting first-class cricket in sub-standard facilities, the stadium, the so-called multi-purpose stadium that was built for the World Cup at great cost to the taxpayers of this country, will be standing idle.
Jamaica's cricket deserves better than this and despite those who have an axe to grind and those who scheduled the matches to be played at Kensington Park and at Chedwin Park despite the obvious shortcomings of each of them, those who called for a second cricket stadium in Jamaica, those who shouted themselves hoarse in their demand for a cricket stadium in western Jamaica, should now stand up and be counted.
Jamaica, little Jamaica, now has two first-class cricket stadiums, one should be used for Test matches and one-day internationals, both should be used for first-class matches and if there are more than one or two regional matches, one should be played at the stadium in Trelawny.
Unless this country has so much money that the stadium was really built only for the World Cup, unless it has been decided that such an expensive stadium, funded by the people of Jamaica, should be used only by the Trelawny Cricket Association as its home ground and unless this country, represented by the JCA, has no standard and no pride, it is as simple as that.
The Trelawny stadium was built for the World Cup, it is second in this country only to Sabina Park, apart from the fact that Kensington Park is in Kingston and close to Sabina Park, apart from the fact that Chedwin Park is in Spanish Town and close to Sabina Park, and apart from the fact that providing the facilities are good enough the matches should be spread across the country in an effort to attract spectators and to spread the game, the facilities at both Kensington Park and Chedwin Park cannot, not even in their wildest dreams of their officers and members, compare with those at the Trelawny stadium.
The people who live in western Jamaica should demand to know why is it that Jamaica will be playing four matches at home an a modern venue like the Trelawny stadium is available, not even one will be played outside of Kingston.
Something is wrong if a Jamaica match is scheduled for Kensington Park, if a Jamaica match is scheduled for Chedwin Park, and if none is scheduled for Trelawny.
published: Thursday | November 29, 2007
Tony Becca
THE REGIONAL four-day cricket tournament gets going on January 4, with the unwise introduction of the Combined Campus and Colleges team. There will be seven teams contesting the Carib Beer Cup and the Carib Beer Challenge for the US$12,500 and the US$5,000, respectively.
That means each team, including Jamaica, will play six matches.
With some matches played at home and some away from home, with the Combined Campuses and Colleges having nowhere to call home and therefore will not host even one match, Jamaica, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands will be hosting four matches each, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago will be hosting three each and Guyana, probably because of the prospect of rain, will be hosting only two matches.
Although there is really no conclusive evidence that the home advantage has decided the majority of matches and most of the tournaments since 1966 when barbados won the first one, there is no doubt that it has been the deciding factor on a number of occasions and even though, because of their weakness, it may not help the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands this time around, it certainly could help a relatively strong Jamaica.
Apart from the advantage of knowledge of the conditions, apart from preparing a pitch to suit their team and apart from the home support, a home team in the regional competition can decide, depending on the opponents, what pitch or what type of pitch a match should be played on.
Whatever the reason, it is four at home for Jamaica - including the first three. It is only two away for Jamaica an Guyana, hosting only the Combined Campuses and Colleges and the Windward Islands, may be cursing their luck, Jamaica and Jamaicans should be smiling.
Hopping mad Jamaicans
There are, however, a set of Jamaicans who must be hopping mad and they are the Jamaicans who live in rural Jamaica and especially so those who live in the west - those who are far removed from Kingston.
Over the years, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) has moved all over the place. It has moved from having all the matches in Kingston to having most of them outside of Kingston. Now, in 2008, they have moved back again to having all the matches in Kingston and nearby Spanish Town.
Despite the fact that the clubhouse at Kensington Park is without a roof, despite the fact that the clubhouse at Chedwin Park is without a roof and despite the fact that a brand new cricket stadium with all the facilities is available in Trelawny, the JCA has scheduled two of the four matches to be played at Sabina Park, one, for whatever reason, at Kensington Park, and one, again for whatever reason, at Chedwin Park.
Just sitting idle
In other words, while Jamaica will be hosting first-class cricket in sub-standard facilities, the stadium, the so-called multi-purpose stadium that was built for the World Cup at great cost to the taxpayers of this country, will be standing idle.
Jamaica's cricket deserves better than this and despite those who have an axe to grind and those who scheduled the matches to be played at Kensington Park and at Chedwin Park despite the obvious shortcomings of each of them, those who called for a second cricket stadium in Jamaica, those who shouted themselves hoarse in their demand for a cricket stadium in western Jamaica, should now stand up and be counted.
Jamaica, little Jamaica, now has two first-class cricket stadiums, one should be used for Test matches and one-day internationals, both should be used for first-class matches and if there are more than one or two regional matches, one should be played at the stadium in Trelawny.
Unless this country has so much money that the stadium was really built only for the World Cup, unless it has been decided that such an expensive stadium, funded by the people of Jamaica, should be used only by the Trelawny Cricket Association as its home ground and unless this country, represented by the JCA, has no standard and no pride, it is as simple as that.
The Trelawny stadium was built for the World Cup, it is second in this country only to Sabina Park, apart from the fact that Kensington Park is in Kingston and close to Sabina Park, apart from the fact that Chedwin Park is in Spanish Town and close to Sabina Park, and apart from the fact that providing the facilities are good enough the matches should be spread across the country in an effort to attract spectators and to spread the game, the facilities at both Kensington Park and Chedwin Park cannot, not even in their wildest dreams of their officers and members, compare with those at the Trelawny stadium.
The people who live in western Jamaica should demand to know why is it that Jamaica will be playing four matches at home an a modern venue like the Trelawny stadium is available, not even one will be played outside of Kingston.
Something is wrong if a Jamaica match is scheduled for Kensington Park, if a Jamaica match is scheduled for Chedwin Park, and if none is scheduled for Trelawny.