Why No One-Day Sponsor?

Less than a month away from the start of the regional one-day tournament and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) still has not secured a title sponsor.

After news leaked out recently that Trinidad & Tobago-based RBTT Financial was the frontrunner to replace Red Stripe as the title sponsor, WICB chief marketing executive Darren Millien told CaribbeanCricket.com the two sides were still negotiating a valuation for the deal.

The RBTT board of directors was scheduled to meet on August 27 to make a final decision but it now appears the Caribbean banking conglomerate has pulled out of the deal.

It begs the question as to why the WICB was caught scrambling at the last minute to secure a sponsor when it knew since 2001 that Red Stripe would not renew the sponsorship for 2004.

In his conversation with this Web site two weeks ago, Millien said Red Stripe's withdrawal was not confirmed until earlier this year, which left him little time to pursue an alternative sponsor.

He argued that the WICB was forced to compete with other sports for sponsorship dollars and, as such, negotiations were not as straightforward as they used to be.

But, as the man in charge of securing sponsorship money for West Indies cricket, it was Millien's job/responsibility to pursue potential deals while Red Stripe's involvement remained up in the air.

Now, the latest indications are that this year's tournament won't have a sponsor, meaning that the cash-strapped WICB will be forced to foot the bill for all tournament expenses.

One good thing is that the new format for this year's tournament, where all the teams will be hosted in a single venue, will save the WICB a lot of travel-related expenses.

The 2004 tournament will see all six teams in one venue playing each other once (15 games) before it shifts to to another venue, where all the teams will again play each other once (15 games).

The first leg, which starts on October 8, is slated for Guyana. Grenada was picked to host the second leg but the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan means that a new venue is needed.

Barbados is down to host for the Final Four (two semis and the final) and could be used as back-up for the second leg but because the local first division competition is scheduled during that period, there is some question about the availability of grounds.

Trinidad & Tobago is dealing with seasonal rainfall and is not available. Antigua, which was an early option, does not have enough grounds to host three games at a time.

There is a chance the entire tournament will be held in Guyana, where the low cost of accommodation and transportation around the country could turn out to be a blessing for the WICB's bank account.

Still, Millien and the people in charge of securing sponsorship deals, have a lot to answer for.