Beausejour - Caribbean's Best Venue
Fri, Jun 20, '03
(In association with Stephanie's Hotel)
GROS ISLET, St Lucia -- No praise is too high for the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia which has become the Caribbean''s newest and eighth Test venue and 88th worldwide with the staging of the first Test of the short two-match series between West Indies and Sri Lanka.
St Lucia has definitely raised the bar on other territories in the Caribbean with the construction of a state-of-the-art Stadium, which, at present, has a capacity for 15,000 spectators.
Situated beneath the Beausejour hills of Gros Islet, the venue is probably the only facility in the Caribbean which can boast of being ready for the hosting of the matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
It is now only left to the proactive Government of St Lucia, the hard-working officials from the country's Tourist Board and the local cricket association to join forces and put the necessary mechanisms in place to deal with noticeable bugbears like intra-island transport and accomodation.
While the ushering of Test cricket only attracted about a fifth of the ground's capacity with school children out-numbering adults, the previous three One-Day Internationals were contested before sell-out crowds.
Maybe, it is could be the islanders' lack of appreciation for the slower and steadier pace of Test cricket compared to the helter-skelter fast-lane thrills which is the abbreviated form of the game usually provides.
It could also be a lack of a real cricket culture in the country which is yet to produce a West Indian Test or One-Day cricketer even though the all-rounder of the 1950s and 1960s, Francis 'Mindoo' Phillip was rated very highly by the natives.
There were others like wicket-keeper Ignatius Cadette, middle order batsmen Julian Charles and John Eugene, who were on the periphery of West Indies selection.
But for a country without an international player, it is indeed an A-plus investment to pump around US$18 million in this ultra-modern facility which has been rated by West Indian captain Brian Lara as "very impressive" and the best in Caribbean.
"I've been playing in the Caribbean and this is something really special. I mean for the players, the facilities in the dressing rooms, first of all, are top-notch. It reminds us of places like Australia, Melbourne, Perth and these sorts of dressing rooms," Lara said on the eve of the historic Test.
"The outfield is in immaculate condition...to me, it is definitely the number one venue for cricket in the Caribbean. Hopefully, the crowd and the weather would see it fit to grace us with their presence," Lara declared.
Lara's assessment was endorsed by former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, who described the facility as "fantastic" during his radio analysis in the pre-lunch session on the first day.
St Lucia, as one of the so-called "small" Caribbean islands, has set a high standard for the other larger Caribbean territories to reach. The ball in now in their hands.
Let's wait to see how well and at what pace they bowl and whether there how many no-balls and wides will be delivered before they hit the stumps before the 2007 World Cup.
* This report is sponsored by Stephanie's Hotel, Gros Islet, St Lucia.