In The Papers Today (Sep 17, 05)

The biggest news of the day is the responses of both the West Indies Cricket Board and former president Teddy Griffith to the report presented by the Sponsorship Negotiations Review Committee. Summaries can be found in most of the major regional newspapers and links to the actual documents have been published on CaribbeanCricket.com.

West Indies Players Association (WIPA) president Dinanath Ramnarine has issued a press release in which he says he and WICB President Ken Gordon have agreed on the action required to bring closure to the ongoing contract dispute.

In a meeting scheduled for this weekend, WIPA representative Dr Kusha Haraksingh (CARIFORUM Lead Negotiator on Dispute Resolution) will meet with Mr Charles Wilkin SC, attending on behalf of the WICB, to "settle all outstanding issues".

Ramnarine also states that WIPA has advised all 30 players invited to camp ahead of the Australia tour to sign the letters they received, explaining that the draft tour contracts enclosed are not binding.

Mark Pouchet, in the Trinidad Express, does a piece on the WIPA statement as well as the responses of the WICB and Teddy Griffith to the Lucky Report, but the detailed analysis and insight he provided when presenting the actual report is missing.

Elsewhere the Express laments that Trinidad & Tobago will not host India in a Test match during the 2006 Home Series.

The Trinidad Guardian reports that West Indies players Denesh Ramdin and Omari Banks travelled to Antigua earlier in the week to attend Antigua & Barbuda's 10th Annual Information Communication Technology (ICT) Festival on Wednesday. The pair was on hand as part of obligations to sponsor Digicel, spending time demonstrating the telecommunications company's latest products which include the recently launched WindiesWAP.com, a service that sends the latest cricket news and scores direct to Web-connected handsets.

Naz Yacoob follows up on the Senior Inter-Zone limited overs competition, which was previewed yesterday. Rain forced the match to be abandoned, resulting in the title and prize money being shared between the North/East and Central teams.

The Jamaica Gleaner focuses on domestic cricket, with a piece by Anthony Foster on the battle of two as yet unbeaten teams in the 2005 Capital & Credit limited overs competition that will take place today. West Indies players Marlon Samuels and Carlton Baugh Jr will play in the match between Melbourne and Manchester.

Otherwise, Caribbean Media Corporation pieces fill the Jamaica Observer today, with the paper carrying no less than nine CMC stories. These include responses from the WICB and Teddy Griffith to the Lucky Report, Dinanath Ramnarine's plea for the safe return of abducted Trinidad & Tobago cricketer Justin Raymond-Guillen; that Courtney Walsh will be honoured by the Jamaica Consulate in Toronto, and news that Jamaican all-rounder Gareth Breese led a fight back with county side Durham yesterday.

The Barbados Nation details the 2006 home series itinerary with a focus on the revival of the West Indies A team. The piece explains that the increase in ?A? team games is a due to Digicel's sponsorship of West Indies cricket and quotes WICB Chief Operations Officer Zorol Barthley as saying the timing of the ?A? team tournaments will benefit players on the cusp of making the senior team.

Nation sports editor Philip Spooner has authored a story on the important role Barbados plays in regional cricket. He highlights the facilities that will be used during next month's President's Cup and announces that three venues ? Police Sports Club, 3W's Oval and Windward Cricket Club ? have been chosen as training venues for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

Guyana's Stabroek News carries just one cricket related piece, CMC?s copy on the WICB response to the Lucky Report.

The Guyana Chronicle carries the CMC article on the WICB response to the Lucky Report verbatim, snippets of CMC's report on the contents of the report, republishes the 2006 Home Series schedule directly from WindiesCricket.com, alongside host of Reuters articles on international cricket.

Yesterday's top story remains in the Kaieteur News but beneath it comes news that the second semi-final in the National Baron Foods first division limited overs competition will by contested by Albion and North Essequibo at Uitvlugt today.

The Royal Gazette in Bermuda is all about Gus Logie, with one article confirming that the former West Indies player and coach will not represent his home side in the 20/20 Classic competition if he is still working as Bermuda National coach. The article features quotes from Logie on why he cannot play against his charges, his views on the 20/20 game, and Bermuda's preparations for the international cricket they will play in the next 18 months.

In a section updated weekly, the Gazette reveals that Logie has requested his squad concentrate solely on cricket in the lead up to the 2007 World Cup, a plea made because many of Bermuda's top cricketers play football in the off season and cannot afford to risk injury.

Australian publication the Herald Sun takes aim at the sorry state of West Indies cricket, labeling the institution a ?basket case? by doubting that the upcoming Test series between the two nations could be considered a challenge for the Aussies and suggesting it may be more of an anti-climax.

WindiesCricket.com is running a Digicel-sponsored competition which will see the winner and a friend flown to Brisbane for the first Test match between West Indies and Australia. Included in the prize are 10 nights accommodation, Test tickets, dinner with their favourite West Indies player, meet and greets with the team and US$500 spending money.