Mixed reception for Stanford cash

The Jamaica Cricket Association is holding its hands over committing to the Stanford 2020 competition and the proposed US$280,000 to be allocated to each territorial board. However, the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (T&TCB) has no such qualms and they are moving ahead.

"We will welcome any funding for development," T&TCB general secretary Forbes Persaud said yesterday following a meeting between board officials and chairman of the 2020 organising committee, former West Indies fast bowler Andy Roberts, at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva.

Roberts was in Trinidad as part of the series of visits through the islands by members of the 2020 board of directors-comprising 14 West Indies cricket legends-to assess the facilities and appraise the regional boards about the tournament and to discuss the disbursement of funds. However, Roberts' visit coincided with a media release on Monday by the West Indies Cricket Board which issued a caution about the tournament, the brainchild of Antigua-based American businessman Allen Stanford.

"The generous offer of assistance, which is proposed, is to be welcomed," the WICB statement said in part. "But if it is Mr. Stanford's desire to genuinely assist in the development of cricket, we would expect this to be progressed in conjunction with existing Caribbean initiatives, which are well advanced....

"Visits to our respective territories have been made by envoys of Mr Stanford and we have indicated general interest in his proposal to offer funding. But we have made it clear that we expect these arrangements to be pursued through our collective participation at the level of the West Indies Cricket Board. Anything else would suggest an attempt to create duplication and division within West Indies cricket, which we do not believe is Mr Stanford's intention." The statement was signed by the six territorial boards, including the T&TCB. And in a Caribbean Media Coporation (CMC) report yesterday, JCA president Jackie Hendriks said his board, also one of the signatories to the statement, supported the board's position. He added that Jamaica would adopt a wait and see approach.

"Speaking for Jamaica, certainly when we heard about it we were asked to send some of our programmes to them which we did but we made it very clear that we could do nothing until the West Indies Cricket Board sanctioned the whole initiative and this is so up to now," Hendriks said. "My understanding is that efforts have been made by the president of the West Indies Board [Ken Gordon] to get in touch with Mr Stanford without any success so therefore we are waiting to see exactly the outcome of any discussions between the West Indies Board and Mr Stanford."

However, yesterday, the T&TCB adopted a slightly different position. "After the meeting today, we have a clear picture as to what the whole thing is all about," said Persaud, who along with second vice-president Azim Bassarath and T&T senior team manager and T&TCB executive member Omar Khan held talks with Roberts. Board president Deryck Murray is out of the country. The WICB did say they have an interest in the whole project. (So) at this stage we will be putting forward our proposals to the organisers by the end of the week with respect to how we would be using the funds."

Under the Stanford proposal, US$100,000 is to be used to develop cricketing infrastructure, while the remaining US$180,000 is to go towards player development and team preparation for next year's 2020 series.

The cash-strapped T&TCB currently has a bank overdraft of $279,000 and a debt to the WICB of $1.5m which was a loan to help with the construction of the National Cricket Centre.