Sport

No end in sight to quarrel

Teddy Griifith

st. george's grenada, cmc:

THE SPONSORSHIP ROW that has engulfed West Indies cricket remained unsettled yesterday, despite fervent attempts by Grenadian Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell to resolve the issue by his self-imposed deadline.

A statement from Dr. Mitchell's office yesterday indicated that no solution had been found to the crisis that threatens to derail the upcoming tour of the Caribbean by South Africa and Pakistan.

Incomplete

"The prime ministerial sub-committee and the other interested parties are working assiduously on finding a solution to the current sponsorship dispute now dominating West Indies Cricket but the process will most likely not be completed by today as was hoped," the statement said.

It continued: "It is because the interested parties want to see the matter solved that the parties continue to work towards a solution which will be in the best interest of West Indies Cricket."

Dr. Mitchell, chairman of the CARICOM sub-committee on cricket, met with the major players in the dispute in a meeting in St. Georges on Monday and indicated afterward that "considerable progress" had been made.

He subsequently set Thursday as a deadline whereby a solution could be found, that would solve the present row involving communications giants Digicel and Cable & Wireless.

Since that meeting, which involved the West Indies Cricket Board, (WICB) the West Indies Players' Association, Digicel and Cable & Wireless, Dr. Mitchell has been working the phones across the region in order to meet the Thursday deadline.

From all reports, Dr. Mitchell has been in touch with his prime ministerial colleagues in the region in an effort to resolve the issue but to no avail.

Last Friday, WICB president Teddy Griffith announced to the region that captain Brian Lara, along with six other players who are all Cable & Wireless contracted players, would not be considered for selection for the South African series.

Additionally, the WICB president indicated that the 22-man squad that was invited last Sunday to be part of a training camp, had a deadline of Friday by which to sign invitation letters.

It had been hoped that a resolution could have been reached before his deadline approached.

Six uncapped players were named in a 22-member squad. The West Indies Cricket Board sent letters of invitation to the players to make themselves available for selection in the upcoming home series against South Africa and Pakistan.

Contentious issue

_{The squad does not include the seven players ­ captain Brian Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Ravi Rampaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Smith - whom the WICB identified as having personal endorsement contracts with Cable & Wireless and have been ruled ineligible.}

The Match/Tour Contract has been a contentious issue between the WICB and the West Indies Players' Association.

_{Last Friday, Teddy Griffith, president of the WICB, announced that Lara, Bravo, Edwards, Gayle, Rampaul, Sarwan, and Smith would not be considered for selection because their personal endorsements with Cable & Wireless put in peril the WICB's sponsorship with rival telecoms company, Digicel, and the structure of West Indies cricket.}

The six uncapped players are batsmen Narsingh Deonarine, Xavier Marshall, Donovan Pagon, and Ryan Ramdass, as well as wicketkeeper/batsman Dinesh Ramdin, along with fast bowler Dwight Washington.

_{Squad: Carlton Baugh, Jr., Tino Best, Ian Bradshaw, Courtney Browne, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Narsingh Deonarine, Daren Ganga, Ryan Hinds, Wavell Hinds, Reon King, Xavier Marshall, Dave Mohammed, Donovon Pagon, Daren Powell, Ryan Ramdass, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor, Dwight Washington.}