Stadium fantastic
-- CWC verdict
-- but a lot of work still left
By Neil Marks
Guyana Chronicle
November 17, 2006
TOP decision makers for Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 yesterday agreed that Guyana has a “fantastic stadium” at Providence, East Bank Demerara, but concluded that a solid programme over the coming months would be imperative as the pitch and outfield have “a long way to go” for Guyana’s hosting of the quarter finals.
Mr. Chris Dehring, Managing Director of CWC 2007 said what was but a canefield at the Providence site two and a half years ago, has become a fantastic stadium, but noted that a lot of work has to be done.
Venue Development Director, Mr. Don Lockerbie, made no bones about the state of the pitch and the outfield, saying this has a long way to go.
But, he said, an “all star approach” comprising the best expertise in Guyana and the region, including pitch development specialists and a sports agronomy team, is needed to get the field “green, hard and fast”.
Having inspected the Guyana Cricket Club Ground at Bourda and the Everest Cricket Ground, Lockerbie said he was confident that the expertise available in Guyana, coupled with regional support, would get the pitch and outfield ready.
Dehring and Lockerbie headed a high-level team of officials into Guyana on the second day of a nine-nation tour to inspect the 12 stadiums across the region that would be hosting the tournament in the first quarter of next year.
Dehring lauded the efforts of the head of the Local Organising Committee, Mr. Karran Singh for the “fantastic job in doing what has been done”. But he said a tremendous amount of work remains in getting Providence ready.
He compared it to one of those nerve-wrecking cricket match finishes with just 4-5 overs left and a big score to meet.
Dehring called for focus to be zoomed in on the LOC and urged Guyanese to throw their support behind the local organizing body. He said Guyanese should see the stadium as a national symbol.
Lockerbie stated that Guyana has met the challenge in so many ways, thanks to the commitment to excellence of the LOC.
He said during the visit to Guyana yesterday, “volunteers were everywhere”. He considered it the main highlight of the fact finding team and said many countries in the region can learn from Guyana’s volunteer programme.
In noting that “the stadium is so nearly complete”, he said permanent features have to be in place by December 31, while temporary overlays could take place between January-February, 2007.
He said Guyana’s challenge in getting the stadium and the pitch and outfield ready lies in the fact that the stadium is being built to host a world championship in the first instance and as such the country needs to get it right off the bat.
Among his concerns for the readiness of Providence were, in terms of security, the construction of the permanent security fence and the installation of a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) security system. These also have to be in place by December 31.
In terms of accommodation, Dehring said he was “fairly comfortable” that Guyana would be able to meet the requirements in this area.
He said the completion of Buddy’s International Hotel, which is being constructed adjacent to the stadium, is critical, and from yesterday’s inspection he was confident it would be ready.
Buddy’s, which is aiming for a year-end completion, has already been contracted by the government to be used by the LOC for Teams, Officials, Media and Sponsors (TOMS).
In addition, Dehring noted that some 1, 000 rooms of Guyanese families are available for use under the Bed and Breakfast programme.
Dehring and his team inspected major hotels in and around Georgetown.
They visited Barbados on Wednesday and are scheduled to carry out assessments in Grenada today.