WICB and WIPA reach settlement

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, Jan.23, WICB: The West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players Association have reached a settlement on the sharing of the West Indies team sponsorship for the Cricket World Cup 2003 and compensation of players who are injured while on tour.

Acting Chief Executive Officer, Roger Brathwaite, who led the WICB's negotiating team said that the cricket body was satisfied with the settlement that maintained the established principle of team sponsorship being shared between the players and the WICB.

He added that the LNM Group, the Official Sponsor of the West Indies team to the Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, will award the team incentives for proceeding to different stages of the competition and, ultimately, winning the World Cup as originally proposed.

Dinanath Ramnarine, the President of WIPA, who was the chief negotiator for the players, also expressed satisfaction with the agreement.

"The team is satisfied with the agreement and fully committed to fulfilling the obligations to the new sponsor," remarked Ramnarine.

"We regret any inconvenience that the LNM Group may have experienced as a result of this negotiation and we would like to thank them for their support. Indeed, WIPA looks forward to a long association between this company and the team" he added.

Brathwaite expressed relief that the matter had been settled to the satisfaction of both parties. He indicated that the WICB was taking steps to have a comprehensive approach to compensation including sponsorship that it hoped would eliminate negotiations such as this if a new sponsor came on board just before a tour.

He reiterated the Board's appreciation of the support of the LNM Group and applauded them for staying on board in spite of the difficulties of the last two days.

The LNM Group is the second largest steel producing company and the parent company of the Trinidad & Tobago-based Caribbean Ispat.