In The Papers Today (Oct 4, 2005)

Texan billionaire R Allen Stanford's big announcement that he will inject US $28 million into West Indies cricket in the next twelve months is the big news around the Caribbean today.

Stanford unveiled his plans for a 20/20 tournament and Super League in Antigua on Monday, and with all the media attention the venture has received, it does indeed seem bigger than Texas. The story has been picked up by publications worldwide, from Michelle McDonald's piece on this Web site to major regional newspapers to BBC Bengali to Sports Illustrated.

In the Trinidad Express, Brian Lara's statements from Australia continues to be big news. In Melbourne for the ICC Super Series, Lara is ruffling a few Aussie feathers, saying, "I think at present they are wounded, after the Ashes" but noted that he represents a team of great players where what is needed to pull of a win is a great team.

Meanwhile, Cricinfo reports that Chris Gayle has been left out of the ICC World XI for the first One Day game of the Super Series. Also sitting out is South African Makhaya Ntini.

Naz Yacoob in the Trinidad Guardian writes that five Trinidad & Tobago players who have been selected as part of a 20-man West Indies training squad ahead of the Under-19 World Cup 2006 will join in T&T senior team preparation for the 2005/06 Carib Beer tournament.

The five youth players are Jason Mohammed, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, William Perkins and Rishi Bachan. They will join forces with the squad currently competing in the President?s Cup tournament on its completion.

In the Barbados Nation, Haydn Gill reports from North Stars ground in St Lucy on the Barbados vs Guyana match on day one of the President?s Cup tournament.

Bad light brought an early end to play, and the Duckworth/Lewis system was employed, but not before Ramnaresh Sarwan cracked a Man-of-the-Match worthy 106 to lead Guyana to victory.

Ezra Stuart brings news of the Windward Islands victory over Trinidad & Tobago in their first round match played at the Windward Club in Barbados.

The Windwards were sent into bat by T&T skipper Daren Ganga, and after a shaky start that saw them on 44-5, they recovered to post 190 after 50 overs.

Trinidad & Tobago managed just 176, beaten by the Windwards in the preliminaries for the second consecutive year. Windwards captain Rawl Lewis was Man of the Match.

Also in the paper is news of injury to Denesh Ramdin, the T&T and West Indies wicket keeper. Ramdin was whisked away for emergency dental work on two broken teeth but is expected to miss only one match in the tournament, returning for Round Three when his team faces the Leeward Islands on Thursday.

In her latest 'Firefly' column, Vaneisa Baksh returns to an earlier Nation News column by C. Malcolm Grant, in which Grant blamed West Indies cricket woes on, among other things, the liberalisation of West Indian women.

Baksh writes that the piece was partially reprinted in the Trinidad Guardian last Friday, ?Perhaps due to inquiries fuelled by an irate columnist's response?. Could that irate columnist be Media Watch? The writer takes the view that Grant?s piece barely skimmed the surface of the deep-lying issue and thus was open to misinterpretation, and says she doesn?t believe he wrote with the intention of blaming women.

The Jamaica Observer reports on Jamaica?s humiliating loss to the Leeward Islands in Round One of the President?s Cup. The Leewards, under the captaincy of Sylvester Joseph skittled the Jamaicans for 145 to take a nine-wicket win at the Banks Brewery.

In the Jamaica Gleaner, Tony Becca details Ken Gordon?s belief that the West Indies can win Cricket World Cup 2007, saying that the newest West Indies Cricket Board President is willing to put in the effort and planning required to pull it off.

Aspects of the plan, including full time coaching for regional sides and retainer contracts, lead Becca to opine that Gordon is prepared to put his money where his mouth is, looking inside as well as out to raise the funds required to implement the outlined strategies.

The Guyana Chronicle reports on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 road show which kicked off in Georgetown on Monday.

Speaking at the opening show were CWC 2007 Chief Executive Officer Chris Dehring who told the attending crowd that a successful World Cup cannot be done without Guyana, and Guyana Minister Gail Texeira who urged stakeholders, particularly businesses, to buy into the mega event.