Lequay: WICB rejected T&T Cricket Centre

It appears there's a high-stakes territorial battle for control of the cricket academy that services West Indies cricket. And, it's a clear battle between Trinidad & Tobago and the Eastern Caribbean.

On the heels of a damning report from two Australian coaches criticising the Shell-sponsored academy in Grenada and its director Dr Rudi Webster, the Trinidad Guardian (which published the confidential report) has carried an interview with TTCBC boss Alloy Lequay on that country's own plans for an academy:

Here is a portion of that interview conducted by Trinidad Guardian writer Brij Parasnauth. Note Lequay's statements on the WICB rejecting T&T's offer to have the academy set up in Trinidad:

Q: How was the idea of building the Sir Frank Worrell Centre conceptualised and how did the TTCBC manage to build this Centre?

In 1988 when Dr Allen Sammy was our General Secretary, we realised we couldn?t continue to exist on the basis of holding meetings at people?s homes and peoples offices, and also having our files all over the place. We needed a central point to operate and hold meetings.

We started by renting an office at Rahaman?s Printery in San Fernando. Then we started looking at Walker Park which was abandoned at that time, as a possible playing field.

We approached the Ministry of Sports and they agreed to give us a lease on that property. Walker Park was once a prominent point of the sporting development but then it was abandoned. Based on our projections, we subsequently realised that we would have outgrown that parcel of land very quickly.

Q: What were the plans by the Cricket Board executive members after getting the green light for the lease of Walker Park?

Fortunately for us, at the same time, Mr Winston Dookeran was the Minister of Planning, Development and Reconstruction in the NAR Government, and he came up with a land use plan for Caroni 1975 Limited. And within that plan, he had a piece earmarked for an agricultural exhibition site and playing facilities.

We approached him and he agreed with Caroni 1975 Limited to sell us a piece of land that they had earmarked for sports development. We selected a piece of land close to the Brechin Castle Centre and had it surveyed, but the chairman of Caroni at that time, who is also the chairman now, Dr Kusha Harracksingh, advised us and the Minister that the Cricket Development project would have been too close to the Brechin Castle factory and would create too much traffic problems. It was located on Rivulet Road itself.

Harracksingh persuaded us, although we had contractual obligations for that parcel of land. Up to that point of time, all we had in mind was a playing field and headquarters. That was the first phase.

Q: How much did the Board pay for the land and in which year did the construction of the Board?s Administrative Centre and Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre started?

In 1995, our Board bought the 17 1/2 acres of freehold land from Caroni 1975 Limited and we paid TT$325,000. Construction of our Administrative Centre started in 1997 and was completed in 2000.

However, I have to look back at 1995 when we purchased the land and embarked on putting up the infrastructure to facilitate the successful promotion of cricket in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region.

At that same time, I was Chairman of the Cricket Development Committee of the West Indies Cricket Board.

Q: Who were the other members of the WICB Cricket Development Committee and what were the plans for West Indies cricket advancement?

The other members were Jackie Hendricks, Jamaica?s Cricket Association president, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Garfield Sobers, David Holford and Stephen Camacho, the then chief executive officer of the WI Board. We discussed the rise and fall of West Indies cricket. The decline had started in 1994 when we lost to Pakistan in Pakistan and then we lost to Australia at home. We talked about what should be done to bring West Indies back to the top.

And that Cricket Development Committee, which I had the honour of chairing, with these great West Indian players, decided that we had to go the route of Australia which already had a successful Cricket Academy. We decided that we have to develop a Cricket Academy for the West Indies Board.

I wrote to the South Australian Cricket Academy and the Ken Barrington Cricket School in Surrey (England) and they submitted particulars which we reviewed. We also got the late Michael Manley (former Jamaican Prime Minister) and Dr Hilary Beckles of the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill campus) to give us their ideas for a West Indies Cricket Academy. All our information pointed to the fact that the Academy, was a necessity for West Indies cricket development.

Q: How did the West Indies Board members respond to the recommendations made by the Cricket Development Committee, and what after?

Unfortunately, in 1995, when all the recommendations and research were placed before the West Indies Board, they did not accept it. They said that they were not ready for that type of development. And everything was then placed on the back burner.

Q: At that time you were a member of the West Indies Board but also president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control, what initiatives did you undertake and how did the executive members of the local Board respond to the West Indies Board?s reluctance to set up the Cricket Academy?

The Trinidad and Tobago Board decided it had to do something about West Indies cricket development and we adopted the plan which was designed for the West Indies Board. We modified it because the Cricket Academy at that time was intended to be a much larger structure than it is now. We modified it to suit our own cash resources.

So in 1997, we came up with the idea of constructing the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre.

Q: We understand that it cost the T&T Cricket Board TT$2.8 million to construct the Sir Frank Worrell Centre and to make it fully functional. Is it complete or are there more additions to make it comparable with the cricket academies in the other leading cricket nations?

It is basically completed. The outdoor nets are now being constructed, we already have the indoor nets, the gymnasium, the masseur room, accommodation for 22 people with the nine double suites and four single, complete with televisions. There is also a library and a room for mental preparation and video shows which will help the youngsters strengthen themselves mentally and tactically. So I would say it?s basically complete except for the environment. We have to landscape the area around the centre to make it more attractive.

Q: Former West Indies Test player, Deryck Murray is the Cricket Director of the Centre. As a Cambridge University graduate and an outstanding player, he seemed to be the ideal person to head this project. Murray was living in England, how did you get him to serve in this capacity?

At the start of construction of the Centre, we knew that there would be the need for a competent and experienced person to manage the Centre. After discussions among Board members, Deryck was recommended and we got in touch with him through his father, Lance, who was a former vice-president of the Board and a member of the West Indies Board. At that time, Deryck, who was living in England, was considering coming back home, so that gave us the opportunity of starting discussions with him from the inception. He was very helpful in gathering information about various cricket schools in England.

Q: The first batch of 17 selectees started their one-year weekend training programme. Could you describe the response from the young players?

The response from the young cricketers has been exceptionally good. Some of them were amazed at the facilities. My discussions with them on the evening they came in for the start of the programme (Thursday, September 5) indicate that they were all extremely happy to be among the first batch of selectees. Already they are motivated to make the best use of the opportunity given to them.

SOURCE: This interview was first published in the Trinidad Guardian.