The Arnos Vale Playing Field seems to be a happy hunting ground for West Indies One-Day cricket teams.
West Indies won their first match February 4, 1981 by two runs. That was in a low scoring encounter against England. The tourists fell two runs short of the West Indies’ 127.
In 1993, the Windies lost to Pakistan, and since then they have played unbeaten. They have a 14 to one record, with 13 successive victories. {{more}}
Arnos Vale Playing Field was the scene of another ecstatic Arnos Vale crowd. They were kept on the edge of their seats on Saturday, and for some time it appeared that Bangladesh was on the verge of an historic upset victory. But the crowd, stacked with a cross section of regional support, urged on the Windies and erupted into wild celebrations when the final run was scored on Saturday.
Sunday’s game was delayed. The crowd waited patiently until 1:40 for the start with the match reduced to 25 overs.
The outpouring of regional support was obvious during the matches.
The flags were prominent and nearly every Caricom nation had some representation, judging from the regional emblems on display. The Antigua and Barbuda flag, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica and St. Lucia were alongside numerous Vincentian flags, and the crowds meshed in a Caribbean alliance as they maintained their support to the very last drop.
And the Arnos Vale Playing Field was again in immaculate condition. Additional work to spruce up the surroundings paid dividends and the arena maintained its reputation as one of the most scenic in the region. Live television coverage attested to the exquisite beauty that Arnos Vale provided. The results were those that the Vincentian crowd ,and indeed the entire stand, were expecting.
Projections are towards the 2007 World Cup with widespread renovations earmarked for the Arnos Vale Playing Field.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines completed its bid to stage matches in 2007, but they will have to wait until July to know how successful their efforts were.
The Arnos Vale Playing Field was opened in April 1972. There has been one Test match there when Sri Lanka and the West Indies played to a draw in June 1997.