Cayman cricket is bowled over by the amount of money heading its way.
Minister of Sport Alden McLaughlin recently announced that the Cayman Islands Government had set aside CI$500,000 for the development of the game here.
On the same day, Texas millionaire Allen Stanford handed over to the Cayman Islands Cricket Association a cheque for US$100,000.
And that $100,000 was just part of a total to the tune of US$280,000 on the way for Cayman’s participation in the Antiguan based financier’s forthcoming Stanford 20/20 Tournament.
‘We are pleased to get so much. We did not anticipate that at this time,’ said national cricket coach Theo Cuffy.
He also felt that some of the good luck that had come cricket’s way might also rub off on other sports.
‘I believe this is only the beginning. Other disciplines of sport will benefit tremendously at some point in time,’ he told the Caymanian Compass.
The government’s input was a continuation of what had been going on for the last five years with the beginning of the Jimmy Powell, said Cuffy.
‘We are pleased that the Minister has seen fit not only to complete it, but to upgrade it to what is considered to be international standards,’ he said.
‘He has made a commitment to that, of which we are extremely proud,’ he added.
‘It shows the Minister’s and the Government’s commitment to the development of first class facilities in sport for the people of the Cayman Islands,’ said Cuffy.
At the moment, he said, there was a main building that had been destroyed by Hurricane Ivan.
The first commitment was to complete that building, and work would start on that in a very short time, he said.
There would be proper changing room facilities, a small area for spectators, an office and other provisions, said coach Cuffy.
Work on the pavilion would be finished in about five months, he said.
‘There will be first class facilities that anyone would be proud of,’ he told the Compass.
After that they would be moving on to work on the field itself.
‘At the moment it is reasonable but it is going to be redone,’ said Cuffy.
‘God willing, before the end of the year we will have a facility that anyone can be proud of, with a completed pavilion and playing area,’ he said.
But the money coming in was not only for the Jimmy Powell Oval, it was also for other things like the building of practice nets in convenient locations, such as schools, said Cuffy.
‘It will help tremendously because the coaches will have better facilities to work with and the national coaching programme will be enhanced,’ he said.
‘I am extremely delighted. As a coach we need facilities to encourage and motivate,’ Cuffy told the Compass.
‘You get better performances when people have better facilities because people are more comfortable in what they are attempting,’ he said.
They would keep working hard with the schools and youth and coach Andy Myles, in charge of youth development, was pleased with the way things were going, said Cuffy.
‘We have high hopes for the future,’ he said.
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