TOMORROW, less than a month after St Kitts successfully staged its inaugural one-day international, the picturesque island in the Leewards becomes the newest Test-match venue when West Indies and India contest the third Test.
The Warner Park ground is the first of the seven stadiums undergoing construction before next year’s World Cup to be completed — no small achievement for an island with a population of only 35,000. The encouraging news is that building work on the rest is largely on schedule.
“Tell the world that the Caribbean grounds will be ready for the World Cup,” Ricky Skerritt, the former West Indies team manager who is now Minister for Tourism and Sport in St Kitts, said. Warner Park, attractively situated in Basseterre, with views of the neighbouring island of Nevis one way and of Mount Liamuiga, St Kitts’ dormant volcano, the other, was packed to its 8,000 capacity for the one-day international. Rahul Dravid, the India captain, said that the intimate ground had provided “a great atmosphere”.
Warner Park is a pan-Caribbean success story. Unlike Grenada, Jamaica and Antigua, where the Chinese Government has provided not only the finance but also manpower for ground reconstruction, West Indians alone rebuilt Warner Park. The Taiwanese Government did stump up US$7 million (about £3.81 million) of the $10 million reconstruction costs, but sent no workforce.
“We are very proud of Warner Park and that St Kitts has led the way,” Skerritt said. “The architect was St Lucian, the quantity surveyors were Jamaican, the engineers and the construction company were Trinidadian and much of the workforce was Kittitian. It was very much a joint exercise.”
Advertisement
No stands have been built on the east side of the ground, allowing the prevailing easterlies to have their cooling effect. For the World Cup, temporary seating on the west side will bring the capacity up to 10,000, which should be ample for the group matches between Australia, South Africa, Scotland and Holland.
Although those four countries are unlikely to attract Barmy Army-like mass support, accommodation in St Kitts should just about be sufficient. There are 2,000 hotel beds on the island, but Nevis provides both an obvious overspill as well as a charming alternative. A 35-minute ferry ride away, or six-minute flight, St Kitts’ tiny sister island has several hundred hotel beds.
Helen Kidd, the Scottish-born chief executive of the Nevis Tourist Board, is hoping to woo Celtic supporters to the island. A special charter flight out of Edinburgh has been booked by Rumsey Travel, Cricket Scotland’s appointed travel agent, which expects to take 500 Scots for the two weeks of group matches in St Kitts. Due on the plane as celebrity tour leader, unless England pick him in their World Cup squad, is Matthew Hoggard.
Praise for the facilities at Warner Park came from Chris Broad, the ICC match referee for India’s tour to the West Indies, who described them as “fantastic”.
For all the optimism that the West Indies will be ready to stage the World Cup, there remains one caveat: hurricane season. It started this month and American forecasters predict that up to six hurricanes will hit the Caribbean. Historically, only three of the eight World Cup venues — Trinidad, Guyana and Barbados — have been safe from hurricanes. Not until the end of October, when hurricane season ends, can the remaining five islands guarantee the fitness of their grounds. It will be a long and nervous wait.
Advertisement
ALL HANDS ON DECK FOR OPENERS
THE eight main World Cup grounds are scheduled to be handed to the ICC by the end of November.
ANTIGUA: The new Sir Vivian Richards ground, being constructed with the help of several hundred Chinese workers, is back on track.
Advertisement
BARBADOS: Kensington, the venue for the final, was behind schedule but is understood to have made up ground.
GRENADA: Destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, but a 400-strong Chinese team, working 24-hour shifts, are making good progress with reconstruction.
GUYANA: New ground being built with the help of the Indians. Work is understood to be on schedule.
Advertisement
JAMAICA: A week behind schedule with cement shortage in Caribbean felt particularly keenly.
ST KITTS and ST LUCIA: Both grounds ready, although some temporary seating will be installed.
Advertisement
TRINIDAD: Economic upturn in oil-rich island has led to construction boom, with redevelopment of Queen’s Park Oval going well. Useful reserve for any Super 8 grounds suffering hurricane damage.