LARA_TRIBUTE_26APR94
Brian Lara's arrival in England to play for Warwickshire, scheduled for today, has been delayed to allow the West Indies batsman to enjoy the honours and gifts being showered on him in his native Trinidad
26-Apr-1994
Trinidad seized by Lara-mania - By William Gray
Brian Lara's arrival in England to play for Warwickshire,
scheduled for today, has been delayed to allow the West Indies
batsman to enjoy the honours and gifts being showered on him in
his native Trinidad. In recognition of his world record Test
score of 375 against England in the fifth Test in Antigua, Patrick Manning, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago proclaimed yesterday a Sports Achievement Day. Manning then announced that Lara was to receive free travel for him and his
mother on the state airline, BWIA, to the value of 375,000 Trinidadian dollars. In addition, the government will also buy him a
house; on Sunday, he is to be awarded the Trinity Cross,
Trinidad's highest award, and a walk in Port of Spain is to be
named the Brian Lara Promenade. It is not just the islands'
government who are eager to honour Lara. A car dealer has offered
him a car and a local telephone company is giving him 375 minutes
of free calls on a mobile phone. A tour of Trinidad by motorcade
is planned for today and he is due to visit the smaller island of
Tobago tomorrow. Lara, 24, was originally due to arrive in England today but Warwickshire agreed to a request from the Trinidadian government and the islands' cricket board of control to
let Lara remain in the Caribbean for the weekend. He will now
leave tomorrow night to join Warwickshire in time for his first
county match, against Glamorgan at Edgbaston on Thursday.
(Thanks : The Daily Telegraph)