By Neto Baptiste
Former West Indies, Leeward Islands and national fast bowler, Kenneth Benjamin, believes associations across Antigua and Barbuda should seek to expose national players to more regional competition, even if it means seeking entry into events put on within the neighbouring Windward Islands.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, Benjamin pointed specifically to cricket, suggesting that the national association should seek permission from the Windward Islands to allow Antigua and Barbuda to compete in their annual tournaments instead of solely depending on the Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB).
“I think not just cricket, but all the other sports that Windward Islands have a tournament in, that it is about time the Antigua cricket association go to the Windward Islands Cricket Board and say ‘we want to take part in your three-day tournament, we want to play in your youth tournament because we have to start doing something different, and I think that is the way to go. We can’t have our players here playing, training and working hard and then there is no other cricket between here and four-day cricket,” he said.
The LICB last held its three-day tournament in 2012 in St Kitts, while the last instalment of the 50 overs competition was held here in 2019 with the final played at the Mack Pond playing field in All Saints.
Benjamin pointed out that with the absence of the longer version of the game at the Leeward Islands level, a number of young players have been left at a disadvantage.
“Take, for instance, Karima Gore who has never played a three-day game for Antigua, but he is in the Hurricanes team and maybe he might play four-day cricket, so there is no transition. I think the cricket association, the football association, the netball association, the basketball association and all those associations where the Windwards have tournaments, we should go and say to them, ‘we want to play in your tournament and we will try and fund some of our expenses so we don’t put you under any strain so we would get our athletes participating at the next level’,” he said.
Antigua and Barbuda defeated St Kitts by 40 runs in the final of the 50 overs final in 2019. There were no tournaments in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.