By Monique Hepburn, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
A YET to be constructed stadium in Trelawny and Kingston's Sabina Park and the National Stadium are the three venues the Jamaican Bid Committee (JBC) will recommend to Cabinet as possible venues to host matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
In an interview with The Gleaner yesterday, Dr. Wayne Reid, the chairman of the steering committee of the JBC, said the report of his committee, which includes the venue recommendation, was recently forwarded to Prime Minister P. J. Patterson, who had commissioned the group to come up with possible venues.
"The Prime Minister commissioned us to carry out a function. It was completed and submitted last year," said Dr. Reid. "I cannot give any more information except to say that the venues up for consideration are Sabina Park, the National Stadium and a proposed facility in Trelawny."
However, it would appear that Sabina Park, despite its limited scope for further development, is the committee's favoured venue. According to one member of the committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, he said, Sabina Park, a long-standing Test venue, was recommended as the committee's first choice.
While their venue is yet to be constructed, the western lobby group, operating under the name, 'The Trelawny Group', is intensifying its campaign to have the matches played in the west. The venue under consideration is the Trelawny Greenfield Stadium which they hope will one day host Test matches, one-day internationals and other first-class cricket games.
"Recommendations have been submitted to Cabinet and we are hoping for it to be decided on by next Tuesday," said businessman Winston Dear, a member of the western lobby group. "February 19 is the day to prepare the final bid, March 10 is the date to submit the letter of intent, the Bid Book submission deadline is May and the announcement will be made in July."
Dear, who is also president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Jamaica was behind in its selection of venues. According to him, "Jamaica's venue selection should have been done by December 15, 2003. We are behind time."
