Persons without tickets or passes will not be allowed into Stadium

Mar 19, 2009 Sports

Digicel/WICB ensure radio broadcast free for regional stations

By Sean Devers
Barbadian Barry Wilkinson, Managing Director of the newly formed Line & Length Network which has the exclusive radio right for the broadcast of the Digicel home series informed that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and cell phones giants Digicel have ensured that radio commentary of the series is free.
Wilkinson, speaking at the a press conference at the National Communications Network (NCN) yesterday, said that a record 4.6 million listeners daily on weekdays and 3.3 million on weekends have followed the series so far on radio stations in Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Guyana, St Lucia, St Vincent, St Kitts, Grenada, the Kaman Islands and St Martin in addition to International listeners who logged on to wwwdigicel.com and wwwctn.com in South Africa.

Lead commentator Andrew Mason disclosed that he is happy that the coverage of the matches has reached far and wide and disclosed that the Line and Length Network is using local commentators and comments persons when broadcasting from the various venues. He disclosed that Guyanese Sean Devers will help to bring the ball-by-ball action of both matches while Guyanese Colin Croft, Mark and Roger Harper, Neil Barry and Reon King will also join the broadcast as comments personalities during this weekend’s games.
Jamaican Donovan White; Marketing Director of Digicel (Guyana) explained that when Digicel arrived in the Caribbean a culture separation was noticed with West Indians moving away from cricket.

“We came on board as the West Indies sponsor to ensure that cricket, which is an institution and cultural passion in the West Indies was kept alive and not only for the commercial value which is also important,” White stated. He said that win, lose or draw, we see our sponsorship as a contribution to cricket and since a lot of people still depend on radio to follow the game since they can take a radio anywhere, we also wanted to help the fans to follow the game and I am sure we will continue to be partners with the Line and Length Network’s broadcast.

Digicel not only supports the team but also the fans and US$100,000 will be won during the third ODI in Barbados next week by a lucky fan. The winner will be selected from those who text ‘more than a game’ to 1222. The bigger better network will also allow one person among the anticipated 16,000 sold out crowd at providence to have a say in choosing the Man-of-the-Match.

Each spectator will be given a flyer with instructions on how to be eligible to enter the competition which will also see them winning a blackberry phone. Marketing Manager of the Guyana Cricket Cricket Board (GCB) Ramsay Ali said that the GCB has over the past few weeks been educating persons on what they can and cannot do at the cricket.
“Everybody will be searched and scanned and nobody, regardless of who they are, will be allowed in the Stadium without a pass or ticket. No weapons, metal utensils, glass bottles or plates will be allowed in the venue and only coolers (not larger than 20 inches by 10 inches) which can fit under their seats will be allowed in the stands,” Ali said.

Parking for the first 500 cars will be free for vehicles between the Stadium and Buddy’s International Hotel while $1000 will be charged for parking inside the Stadium.
There will be no Exit passes but Ali ensured that enough concessions, drinks and foods will be available inside the Stadium.
It was also revealed that while an additional 1000 tickets were made available for sale after both matches were sold out since major sponsors who had the right to purchase tickets have not done so by the stipulated time they were given.

These extra tickets were quickly gobbled up yesterday and GCB President Chetram Singh said that both days were now sold out and encouraged fans not to wait until close to match time to get into the ground.
“Even though you have your tickets please try to be at the ground early. The gates will be open from 06:30hrs and while every ticket except for the grass mound has a seat number you should be early to avoid missing the first ball since it could take about 15 minutes to get to your seat,” Singh said.
Singh said the GCB is responsible for the preparations and said the pitch looks good and the outfield should be lightning fast.

“All systems are in place and unlike the World Cup games, we will have 16,000 people in the ground on both days and no one will be excluded from being scanned and searched.
GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie and former West Indies Captain Clive Lloyd were also present at yesterday media conference and the cricket should be on NCN Radio from 09:15hrs tomorrow.

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