Now, the bolts and nuts issues

The Arnos Vale Sports Complex, its attendant facilities and St Vincent and the Grenadines, as hoped, must have satisfied the inspection team that we will be ready to host the three One Day International Cricket matches next month.{{more}}

The new methods of operation saw an inspection team passing through here recently to appraise the facilities and those of the host hotel, the Buccama Bay Resort.

So it is almost a certainty that we are on our way for the three matches carded for the Arnos Vale venue for Friday, March 16, Sunday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 20, between the West Indies and Australia.

For the past months, the National Sports Council has been working overtime to get the outfield in tip top shape, and commendations are in order for the ground staff, especially William “Bill” Edwards, for his tireless efforts in ensuring this.

Now, that is just the small part of the overall preparations, as the bolts and nuts issues are to be attended to.

Therefore, the journey has just begun.

As was the case in the past, following the hosting of the matches, an evaluation process will take place, which determine our future engagements.

The attention of the National Sports Council will be focussed on getting all the amenities in the best working condition, as things must function like clockwork.

The fact that central government plans to spend about $600,000 on the entire Arnos Vale Complex, demonstrates the importance of the matches to us all, and the need to keep pace with the dynamics of sports.

We see what events planning can do, as occurred with the just concluded Caribbean T/20 Competition, co-hosted by Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados.

It was evident that much thought and precision went into the hosting of the matches, thus making them a spectacle for those who witnessed the matches live, and those who viewed them on television or on the Internet.

It cannot be left to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association to put on the event, as they alone do not have the capacity.

It may be an opportune time to reactivate those persons who were trained as volunteers for the 2007 hosting of official warm up matches ahead of Cricket World Cup that same year.

The local Cricket authorities should be encouraged to seek capacity where it is lacking.

Hence, they must take a cue from the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cycling Union which, when faced with staging the 2008 Caribbean Cycling Championships, sought the services of a broad committee, to ensure a successful execution.

We have to cover all of our bases to make certain that we put on a good show and St Vincent and the Grenadines becomes the biggest beneficiary.

This is not to say that we are going to cut our noses to spoil our faces, but if this is what is demanded at this time to have good bargaining chips, when such occasions arise in the future, then let us comply.

Looking beyond the matches in March, the NSC will have to look seriously at further restrained use of the premier facility.

The custodians have been bitten by their own benevolence, as the softening of their stance on the use of Arnos Vale One Playing Field has set them back in many respects. But the die has been cast.

The time may have to be fast forwarded in tightening the noose on access to that arena.

Unlike the other facilities developed for CWC 2007, ours stands out as being the only one where anyone can walk into regularly, near hassle free.

In going forward, the stage has been set, as no longer will we be able to depend on a rotation system in the allocation of international matches, but putting our houses in order to meet the requirements in the growing competitive market should be the new line of thinking and focus.