WI local: Early Start For Div. I Cricket

Cricket will go into a new time zone from next season. From next year the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) has decided to start Division 1 matches at 10 a.m. and play will run until 5 p.m.

President of the BCA, Stephen Alleyne, yesterday disclosed the new initiative at the Grand Barbados Resort. The board has also decided to introduce covers to the Division 1 competition as part of 'infrastructure development'.

This will be a change from the 1:30 p.m. start at present, and matches will now be played over two days instead of three and finish in one weekend. With 14 teams in the island's top league the season could be over in 13 weekends.

Currently, the season runs runs from May to December.

The new format will allow the national team to have early preparation for the regional first-class season which starts in January.

Also, Alleyne said the earlier start would remedy the situation where players who graduate to the Barbados team seem unable to make the change from a four-hour day to the six-hour set-up.