Decision to cover a good start

As the cricket community lays Sir Conrad Hunte to rest tomorrow morning at St. Andrew's Parish Church in the district where he learned the game and the Christian principles that were the essence of his life, there is strong and recent evidence of how quickly he sprung into action as the president of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA).

The new board rapidly named its reconstituted selection panels, both senior and youth, and gave captain Philo Wallace and manager Tony Howard an early vote of confidence for the 2000 Busta Cup.

In a circular to members dated November 22, but received after his sudden death almost two weeks later, Sir Conrad wrote of the board's intention of regularly communicating with our membership and referred to a whole-day retreat the following day.

He later reported on that meeting, identifying a number of areas for urgent attention. Among them was that old chestnut, the use of covers for Division 1 cricket.

Of all the problems facing Barbados and, indeed, West Indies - cricket, none is more obvious and pressing than the abysmal quality of the pitches at club and first-class level.

It leaps out from the sports pages almost every week in the Division 1 season and throughout the old Red Stripe, now Busta Cup, tournament. It was clear in the recent Red Stripe Bowl.

The predicament in Barbados is compounded in that our club cricket is contested during the rainy season.

During the rainy season, it rains - often and often very hard - and when it does, it is impossible for conditions to be ideal.

The reality is that clubs can no longer afford to employ more than one groundsman and the upshot is that no separate pitches are prepared for practice, as they used to be at most grounds.

The square that is used for BCA matches on the weekend has to double up for nets and fixtures against touring teams that have featured in most clubs? itineraries for the past 20 years of so.

There is another factor. It is that good, committed groundsmen are as difficult to find as good, committed cricketers.

The recent unheralded passing of Oliver Perch has taken away yet another of the old brigade who, with sunshine, experience, care and diligence could turn a mud heap into a batsman's paradise in the space of eight hours on a Saturday morning.

Now a mere shower is used as an excuse for lack of preparation.

So the BCA finds itself between a rock and a hard place. And its discomfort is not eased by talk that Challenor, Sealy, the Three Ws, Sobers, Hunte himself, Nurse, Haynes, Marshall and the host of other stars came through the same seasons, on the same damp and soft pitches, on the same heavy outfields.

These are different days and it must quickly decide what to do .

It attempted, back in the 1940s, to change the seasons, to use the dry months from January to June. On the surface that seemed logical but it was the surface of the outfields that quickly finished it.

While it virtually guaranteed hard, true pitches on which batsmen could prosper and only bowlers worthy of the name could have an impact, it was torture for bowlers and fielders who wrenched ankles and tore muscles on the parched, cracked, concrete-hard grounds.

The BCA soon reverted to the previous arrangement that has existed ever since.

Now it is left with one alternative, covering of pitches, at least in Division 1.

That should ensure generally better conditions but it is not as easy as it looks.

The drawbacks are obvious and already identified by numerous committees.

Who will oversee their proper use? Who will guarantee their security? What happens if - or, more to the point, when - they leak in relevant places or are blown off by a mysterious gust of wind the night before the opposition has to bat to save a match?

An even more salient point is that logistics and finance dictate that they can only be used in Division 1. So the schools and the lower divisions would still have to make do with the ball stopping and jumping off impaired pitches and it is there we expect young talent to develop.

Now, after years of discussion and agonising, the new board, under Sir Conrad?s direction, has grasped the nettle and has decided to give covering a try, if only for the top division.

It is an expensive and potentially volatile part-solution. It needs to be strictly policed by independent, officially-appointed match referees to ensure that it is not abused by home teams seeking money-winning points at the end of the season, a practice too prevalent now.

But we won?t know how, or if, it works until we experience it.