Caribbean Times 8th Issue

Wednesday 1st March 2017 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 9
cont’d from pg 8
religion. As British poet
Edmund Blunden who said,
‘Cricket to us was more
than play, it was worship in
the summer sun.’
From friendlies on the
beach or a village field or
local tournaments, there
are countless opportunities
to come across an excellent
game.
Being blessed with sunny
skies and perfect weather
throughout the year, we
can happily play cricket
365 days out of the year.
And truth be told we can
happily do so on each of
our 365 white and pink sandy
beaches!
We are lucky that we are
home to some of the greatest
cricketing legends ever
to play the game – from Sir
Viv Richards, a National
Hero and one of the world’s
cricketing greats for whom
of course we have named
our national stadium.
We are also the home of
Sir Andy Roberts the first
Antiguan and Barbudan to
play for the West Indies
team, as well as legendary
pace bowler Sir Curtley
Ambrose and Sir Richie
Richardson another West
Indian batsman of class and
accomplishments.
So you can see – Antigua
and Barbuda is inextricably
intertwined with
Cricket. As the games is indeed
part of our DNA and
our way of life.
So that is why we are all
excited. It isn’t just us either.
There has been plenty
of activity around the island,
and a buzz building
in the cricket community.
It is my understanding that
this week all of our hotel
rooms are filled with several
thousand cricket fans
from the UK and the rest
of the region for this Friday
and Sunday’s One Day Internationals.
This is excellent
news for our country’s
tourism.
We are all looking forward
to two days of fun and
excitement, and though,
we look forward to a challenging
encounter with you
over the next few days, I
must confess that we look
forward to winning as well!
I wish you only the best
in your training over the
coming days at Sir Vivian
Richards stadium –– and
we hope that you enjoy
the stadium and are able to
appreciate our wonderful
weather.
We are proud to partner
with the West Indies Cricket
Board to organize these
two exciting days of ODI’s
– both for the West Indies
team, as well as fans of the
sport.
Hosting this premiere
event is a real honor for our
nation. Expect the stadium
to be filled with thousands
upon thousands of fans.
Win or lose, we are all set to
be watching teams with the
best players in the world,
competing at extraordinary
levels.
Once again, please accept
our warmest welcome
on behalf of the Government
and people of Antigua
and Barbuda.
We hope that you truly
enjoy your stay, and that
you take time out to enjoy
our beaches, our natural
attractions, our music, and
food but most importantly
that you experience the
warmth and hospitality of
the Antiguan and Barbudan
people.
We hope you are inspired
to return for a personal
holiday so you can
spend some more time with
us and truly experience everything
that our wonderful
twin-island nation has to
offer.
I wish both teams the
best of luck and look forward
to seeing you play on
Friday and Sunday.
I will finish with a quote
from Amit Ray, ‘Champions
never sleep, the eternal
spirit keeps them awake.
Everyone has the fire, but
the champions know when
to ignite the spark.’
So go be the champions
you are on Friday and Sunday.
Do enjoy the rest of
your evening!