by PHILIP SPOONER

AN IDEA has been proposed to have well-known and well-loved "entertainers" of West Indies cricket to be given official accreditation so they can add "the Caribbean culture, character and feel" to matches when the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Cricket World Cup (CWC) is played in the region next year.

Derek Jones, senior legal counsel of the CWC, suggested that people like Mac Fingall who along with his band has rocked Kensington Oval for over a decade, and Gravy who has entertained fans with his antics and contortions at the Antigua Recreation Ground, should be accredited.

"The local organising committees around the region should seek out these persons, we like to call them characters of the game, and have then accredited. They are part of the game and part of the culture of cricket in the region," Jones said yesterday as he met with officials from the Barbados local organising committees, and the media.

"We also have the Chickie HiFi at the Antigua Recreation Ground and another example is Bunny the nut seller at Sabina Park. Cricket is not cricket without these people."

With several new rules about security for the CWC, regional officials had to introduce stringent measures at the request of the ICC.

This meant several traditions of West Indies cricket had to be discontinued. Traditional fans hoping to bring their drums and other musical instruments into the match venues have to seek special permission to do so.

"When you watch the FIFA World Cup you will see several bands from various countries. This didn't just happen overnight, they didn't just turn up," said Jones, a Jamaican with over 30 years in the legal field.

"These are people who have traditionally been supporters of their countries and on some cases they have organised special acoustics to help with their 'performances'.

"We at the CWC have been monitoring various elements of the FIFA World Cup to see how it's done and how we can go about our event as well."

CWC will be played from March 13 to April 28 next year. The opening ceremony will be on March 11, while pre-tournament matches will be from March 5 to 9.