by CHRIS DEHRING

Statement from Chris Dehring, managing director and chief executive officer of Cricket World Cup 2007 on the passing of Stephen Alleyne, chief executive officer of the local organising committee for Barbados.

It is with deep regret and profound sadness that the family of ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc. has learnt of the sudden passing of our friend and colleague, Stephen Alleyne, CEO of the Barbados Local Organising Committee (LOC) for ICC CWC 2007. He died early yesterday morning at his home in Barbados. He was 47 years old.

Stephen made an outstanding contribution to the success of CWC 2007 not only in Barbados but in the wider Caribbean.

He was the consummate professional whose dedication to the job of delivering ICC CWC 2007 to world-class standards and his attention to detail earned him high respect in the region and beyond. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten.

Further afield, Stephen gave sterling service to Barbados and West Indies cricket as former president of the Barbados Cricket Association and a former director of the West Indies Cricket Board.

Those of us who worked with him in those capacities will always remember him fondly.

On behalf of the family of ICC CWC WI 2007 Inc., I would like to extend our sympathy to his family, friends, the Barbados LOC and to the nation of Barbados which has lost one of its finest sons.