by PHILIP SPOONER

THERE ARE some minor worrying elements about the Caribbean's preparations for the 2007 International Cricket Council World Cup (CWC), but Chris Dehring believes they will be conquered in time for the March 5 start of the event.

Speaking last week in Nevis as organisers marked 100 days to go before the tournament, Dehring said that they fully expected to have issues to deal with and remained confident.

He again asserted that the cricket world was beginning to come around and realise that the Caribbean had the ability to put on the event.

"We here at the Cricket World Cup certainly expected that as we prepared for such a major event we would have had our challenges," he said.

"It is a bit unfair to pick at a few of those issues as the issues today might not be the issues of January. We have mentioned the Barbados roof scenario, but there are plans in place to deal with that and make sure it will be finished on time."

There have been delays with the roof at the massive 3Ws Oval at the northern end and the Greeenidge & Haynes Stand on the western side. The original completion date was year-end, but that had to be readjusted to early February.

Dehring also touched on the matter of accommodation in Guyana, where the new Providence Stadium is being built as that country moves away from the historic Bourda ground in Georgetown.

"There is a major hotel which is being built there and that is a major component to Guyana being able to stage their portion of the Cricket World Cup," he said. "We are looking forward to the completion of that property early in the new year.

Work to do

"There is some work to be done in Grenada as well. There have a fantastic stadium (new Queen's Park) but there are a little behind. However we have been told that they are fully mobilised and will be doing their best to fulfil their obligation."

Dehring cautioned that while CWC's overall rating from the ICC regarding tournament preparations is "good", there are some issues that require close monitoring.

"We are feeling comfortable but not complacent," he said, lauding the work of the nine local organising committees (LOCs) who he said have stuck diligently to the task.

Looking ahead, Dehring stated that CWC headquarters will be communicating with each LOC regarding the respective areas of concern in their preparations. A close eye, he added, will be kept on practice facilities and operational elements, such as transportation plans.

"We're over a major hump of delivering the venues on time. There are no longer questions on whether the West Indies can do it. Now they're looking at the things that make it workable."

Underlining the importance of world-class practice grounds, the Jamaican stressed that "the experience of the teams and officials is paramount" and therefore special consideration must be given to their needs.

"If one player says one negative thing it can be all over the world in minutes. We need to focus on the facilities because cricket is at the centre of everything we do. The players' experiences need to be the best," Dehring said.