Covered pitches for Under-15 matches

For the first time in the history of a domestic cricket competition, pitches will be covered for the entire 2000 Cable & Wireless BET Under-15 tournament.

The major development has come about through the initiative of the newly-formed Barbados Schools Cricket Council.

'We are looking to be innovative,' council president Bruce Cosens told NATIONSPORT.

'The idea was thrown out at a meeting. Everybody embraced it, and we felt it was something we could try this year.'

The move is to be carried out on an experimental basis'using a plastic-type covering that is common in construction business.

Such covers are much cheaper than the tarpaulin material which is used at Kensington Oval and at major international venues around the world.

Cosens, a longstanding cricket master at Foundation, said the plastic covering would cost about $50 a roll and it would take a maximum of two rolls to cover'the square.

Financing of the covers will be undertaken by the schools.

'It should be straightfoward for the schools,' Cosens said.

'We're playing fewer matches this year. The money that we save from those matches should be enough to buy the covers.'

The president added that the idea had been accepted by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and tournament sponsors, Cable & Wireless BET.

BCA business manager Rollins Howard confirmed that covers would be used for the tournament which starts on July 3.

The news comes on the heels of a recent disclosure from BCA first vice-president Stephen Alleyne that pitches for the Division 1 competition could be covered from as early as next season.

One of the reasons behind the introduction of the covers, Cosens said, was to cut down on the amount of time that had been lost to bad weather in recent years.

Twenty-three teams are contesting the annual tournament, including newcomers Lester Vaughan and St. Giles.

In light of the additions, Howard said the competition would be spilt into three zones.

St. Peter school Alexandra and Coleridge and Parry are the joint defending champions.