Avaleen Walker plays coy with our cameras as she enters the Scotiabank West Indies Cricket Jubilee Gala last Tuesday night.
-Winston Sill photo
Barbara Ellington, Gleaner Writer
IF WE lived in a country where accountability meant something, many persons would lose their jobs for the poorly produced Jamaica Jubilee and Awards ceremony in celebration of 75 years of cricket on Tuesday night. The event, which started late, took place at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston.
The five Jamaican Jubilee cricketers are: George Headley, Courtney Walsh, Michael Holding, Lawrence Rowe and Jeffrey Dujon. This is an excellent gesture from Scotiabank and other sponsors.
Although title sponsors Scotiabank Jamaica Limited may take comfort that the organizers were from England, it was evident that they were embarrassed. The first sign of this came when Managing Director William 'Bill' Clarke apologized for the "utter confusion" which prevailed.
It seemed like a night when Murphy's famous law would be demonstrated over and over again. For example, several persons, including this reporter, upon asking the foreigner who seemed to be 'running things' for our assigned table, were told to, "just wander on over and see if you can find your table."
THE G-G ARRIVES
Then the Governor-General arrived but had to wait to enter the room because guests were not yet seated. And our first citizen could not be heard when he was being interviewed because the microphone malfunctioned and the sound quality was poor. These two problems persisted for the better part of the ceremony.
And if that were not enough, video clips were mixed up, guests became restless, some grumbled audibly about the mediocrity and as each person who had to be on stage was called, it became evident that rehearsals were not a part of the preparation for this one.
But, thank God for editing, most of the foul-ups will be left on the floor before the final cut makes the Birmingham, England, grand gala in July. Thanks also to master of ceremonies Simon Crosskill who used his sharp wit and liberal doses of humour to try to spare us added embarrassment. In the words of one guest, "This must be worse than President Bush being forced to watch American atrocities on tape."
