In the Papers Today (Sept 20, 2005)

In the Barbados Nation, Philip Spooner clears up the contract confusion that surrounds Pedro Collins and Fidel Edwards ahead of the West Indies tour of Australia.

The Sunday Sun had quoted the brothers as having said they would sign match/tour contracts regardless of the outcome of ongoing negotiations between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and WIPA. However, an article in Monday's Trinidad Express knocked that on the head, claiming the pair had agreed only to attend the preparation camp in Barbados, reserving their decision to sign contracts until a resolution had been agreed upon.

Now, Collins confirms the original report as true, declaring he stands by the original Sunday Sun piece. To clarify the matter, Collins said, "We are prepared to leave all negotiations up to WIPA and the WICB. However, if we are selected, we will still sign our contracts in the interest of the game, even if there is no resolution.:

Haydn Gill reports that all 30 players chosen to attend the camp in Barbados have responded positively by signing their letters of invitation, and that several players had indicated willingness to sign the yet-to-be-finalised tour contracts in an effort to see a full strength team in Australia.

In an op-ed column, Patrick Maxwell reflects on Clive Lloyd's unsuccessful campaign to become vice president of the WICB, arguing that with Lloyd's cricketing experience and respect throughout the region, he would have partnered businessman Ken Gordon perfectly.

Maxwell rues the directors' decision to instead reinstate Val Banks, agreeing with Michael Holding that the decline of West Indies cricket is far from over and apportioned blame for the predicament squarely on the shoulders of the old boys' network that runs the WICB.

The Trinidad Guardian's Naz Yacoob reveals that the WICB has granted Brian Lara permission to miss the Barbados preparation camp because of his commitments to the ICC World XI squad for October's Johnnie Walker Super Series.

Chris Gayle will miss the start of the camp as he attends to personal business in England. The Guardian confirms that Daren Ganga, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Dave Mohammed, the other Trinidad & Tobago players invited to camp, have all accepted and will leave for Barbados this Friday.

The Trinidad Express confirms today's Barbados Nation story about Pedro Collins and Fidel Edwards, as Kern De Freitas references Collins' latest statement. He, too, writes that all 30 players invited to attend camp have accepted.

Guyana's Stabroek News reports that a dispute in the administration of Upper Demerara cricket should be resolved soon as all clubs that fall under its jurisdiction have agreed to hold elections during October.

The Guyana Chronicle posts updated information on the El Dorado Inter County tournament after rain played havoc with the match schedule and prevented play over the weekend. Demerara and Essequibo will face off today and Berbice and Demerara tomorrow, with both matches moved to Bourda in Georgetown.

Over in Jamaica, the Observer is a little late to confirm that the West Indies will feature in the 2005/06 match against the Australian Prime Ministers XI. Originally, the match was slated to be played by the touring South Africans in January but as the date was smack-bang in the middle of the VB Triangular Series, moving it forward was a better option.

They also carry the CMC piece on Justice Lucky and Co. responding to the WICB's reaction to their report.

Tony Becca's Gleaner-published From the Boundary tells of Carlton Baugh Jr's heroics in leading his Melbourne side to a win over Manchester in the Capital & Credit final last weekend.

Spinner Alton Beckford who was named a member of Jamaica's President's Cup squad is the subject of a story by Anthony Foster. Recounting his delight at being selected for the regional one-day tournament, Beckford says, "I am feeling pretty happy because I have been working all my life for this...and now I am in the senior team. I am very proud at this time."

Proof that West Indies cricket has far-reaching tentacles comes in the form of a report in the Khaleej Times, a daily paper out of the United Arab Emirates. It ponders the Windies slide from the glory days and includes quotes from Jeff Dujon, who played a round of golf yesterday with journalist Viren Varma, on why the West Indies are struggling.

Dujon's friendly banter on the greens included: "Even now the individual brilliance is there, we are not short on talent either, but the trouble is that the players these days aren't focused and don't work hard enough on the job at hand."

Dujon homed in on Brian Lara, saying he "is an immensely talented player, we all know that, but he is too focused on history books."

Findings of the Sponsorship Negotiations Review Committee and its response to the response of the WICB has made news back in Digicel's native Ireland, with the Unison paper carrying the headline "Trinidad judge slams local cricket board over Digicel sponsorship."