Barbados Clubs: Pickwick at odds again (18 June 1999)

18 June 1999

Barbados Clubs: Pickwick at odds again

Haydn Gill

The Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and Pickwick Club may soon be engaging in another war of words over Kensington Oval following the fall-out over the Spektakula show.

Three weeks ahead of the annual Nortel West Indies Youth Cricket Championship, the BCA is yet to receive the go-ahead to use the island's only Test and first-class ground.

Pickwick, owner of the Oval for almost 100 years, has informed the BCA that the ground will be unavailable to them for the July 13 to August 6 championship.

Club president Steve Marshall, however, said yesterday that Pickwick would be willing to have further discussions with the BCA on the matter.

"An application has come in from the BCA, but at present the ground is not available because it is the middle of the cricket season," Marshall told WEEKENDSPORT.

"We are waiting to have a meeting with the BCA to thrash out our problems, or should I say, their problems."

Pickwick and the BCA were at loggerheads when the club was prevented from hosting Calypso Spektakula on April 27, two days after the Oval staged a One-Day International between West Indies and Australia.

According to an agreement between the BCA and Pickwick, the local cricket association retains control of the ground for seven days after an international match.

Marshall dismissed the notion that Pickwick was trying to settle a score with the BCA as a result of the loss the club incurred over the relocation of Calypso Spektakula.

"We're not trying to be vindictive in any way," he said.

"We have our rights to Kensington Oval. The BCA doesn't seem to think that Pickwick has any rights to Kensington Oval but we have plenty rights.

"If arrangements have to be made, we have to sit down and make proper arrangements.

"We wouldn't like to do the same thing to them that they did to us when we had made arrangements to rent the ground."

BCA president Tony Marshall said little on the issue, other than disclosing that the proposed grounds for the tournament were visited by two board members earlier this week.

Based on their reports, Marshall said there may be "one or two" adjustments in the venues which should be finalised "later this week".

Since Nortel took over sponsorship of the annual under-19 championship in 1984, it has been customary to play at least three matches at the island's leading ground, as was the case when Barbados previously hosted the tournament in 1984, 1988 and 1994.

Source :: The Barbados Nation (https://www.nationnews.com/)