Row erupts as Antigua forfeit fixture

The financial worries within West Indies cricket have again surfaced with news that the four-day match between Leeward Islands and Guyana has been moved from Antigua to Nevis.

In a curt statement the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA) said that it was "not in a position" to stage the fourth-round fixture which was due to start on January 30 to February 2 because of venue and financial issues.

"The situation is that we have made a decision that we won't be hosting the game," ABCA vice president Leon Rodney said. "It's a venue constraint because we are really short on venues. Our economic condition is also a deterrent."

The Antigua Sun reported the news "sparked a heated and angry exchange of words on a national radio station between Rodney and local government minister Winston Williams". The ABCA has not hosted a regional four-day fixture within the last five years because it has not proven to be a financially viable undertaking.

At the weekend it was announced that the game between Trinidad & Tobago and Leeward Islands had been moved away from Shaw Park in Tobago because of financial and media issues.