Ground To The Wire (14 April 1999)

14 April 1999

Ground To The Wire

Haydn Gill in St. George's

To the naked eye, it might look far from completed and totally inadequate to stage an international cricket match.

But the new Queen's Park Stadium, already sold out for today's second Cable & Wireless One-Day International between West Indies and Australia, is being hailed by the top administrator in regional cricket as the finest-ever facility in the Caribbean.

Amidst desperate 11th hour preparations, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Pat Rousseau said he believed the EC$62 million (about BDS$46 million) stadium was in satisfactory condition for today's historic match.

Rousseau made the assertion in spite of the fact the vast outfield was dry and bumpy in several areas, boundaries and infield circles were yet to be marked, areas inside the players' pavilion still needed to the painted and standing room and car park spaces were still being paved.

There was a general state of uncleanliness, but the situation was helped by the presence of more than 100 people, including about 20 prisoners, who were trying to finish off things well into last night.

"I think they have done a superb job. To bring it to this state for a One-Day International is an enormous feat," Rousseau said while inspecting the pavilion.

"More importantly, even in its present condition, it is the best cricket facility in the West Indies," he said.

Rousseau said that when he visited Grenada last November, he was not optimistic that the ground would be ready five months later.

"There wasn't a blade of grass out there. The pitch hadn't been laid and only the foundations of the main stand were there.

"I thought they would have had difficulty in finishing it, but I think it is in a state of readiness," he said.

"You can play an international match on it, and, by next year, it should be 100 per cent complete.

"That would make it, without question, one of the best cricket facilities in the world."

Among the features that impressed Rousseau was the lay-out of the seating in the two covered stands on the western section of the ground.

There are also two uncovered stands and the total capacity of the ground is 15,000 - 10,000 sitting and 5,000 standing. Half the ground is covered and the other half remains uncovered.

When completed, it will hold more than 20 000 spectators.

Financed by Clico Investment Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and supported by several regional institutions, the facility will also feature a stadium for football and track and field.

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