Too much Confusion

13

But the NSC is aware that football, athletics and rugby compete for use of the same facilities that cricket uses and yet the organisation seems insensitive to the needs of others.
When the decision was taken to accept the CWC2007 warm up matches it seemed clear that Arnos Vale, Sion Hill and Stubbs were going to be used. Despite early requests for information in respect of alternative playing fields for use once the decision was taken, no response came from the NSC.
More than this, at least one sporting discipline has all of its available equipment stored at Arnos Vale and needs to know whether the transformation of the facility would require that they be relocated and if so, to precisely where.
The NSC did not and still does not seem to think it worthwhile to convene a meeting with the athletics, cricket, football and rugby associations to discuss the situation and facilitate joint planning. Instead, during the past week the NSC dared to communicate to national sports associations asking for their 2007 calendars and a number of other pieces of information, including budgets.
The NSC must be located on Mars rather than St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Athletics, football and rugby cannot create a calendar without knowing the true state of the playing fields in this country and their availability for use by sporting organisations other than cricket.
Victoria Park is getting its cricket wicket. Buccament has been given over to cricket for development under Stanford’s 20/20 arrangement.
Bequia seems likely to benefit from a cricket wicket under the same arrangement.
Every field across the nation will have a cricket wicket and so the cricket association is the only one of the four aforementioned national sports bodies that can realistically comply fully with the requirements of the NSC’s letter of last week.
One is left to wonder what is expected of the other associations.
While athletics has been able to hold its Milo Juvenile Championships and plans to hold the Mustique Company National Open Championships on Arnos Vale # 2, the field has not been in any way prepared for this activity by the NSC. There has not been any rolling of the very bumpy arena and the athletes cannot give of their best on the 250m track that seems more like an Indoor facility than an outdoor one.