by EZRA STUART

FOR THE FIRST TIME in eight years, the TCL Group West Indies Under-19 Cricket Competition could be staged in Barbados.

This was confirmed by a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) official last week and has been further corroborated by first
vice-president of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), Conde Riley.

But Riley said that while the WICB had asked Barbados to host the tournament, which was last held in Barbados in 1999, the BCA was now waiting for a response from the regional board regarding the tournament's budget.

"We are scheduled to host the tournament and we have submitted a budget to the West Indies Cricket Board and it is now left to the WICB's Cricket Operations to say whether they can handle it," Riley told NATIONSPORT.

Very keen

"The BCA board has been very keen to host the tournament since this is a developmental process but because of the high cost in Barbados, the West Indies Cricket Board [had] taken it to other places."

Two years ago, the BCA, then under the leadership of Tony Marshall, withdrew as hosts of the tournament, only a few months before it was scheduled to bowl off, forcing the WICB to look for another venue.

But Riley, who is also a WICB director, believes the BCA may have to underwrite whatever extra cost there is as host country.

"Our guys deserve to play at home at some point in time, so we are looking to host at least once every four or five years.

"Sometimes, you can't only look at cost, you have to look at the development of the sport, and get the boys to play on good pitches that they are accustomed to and that they will meet all across the world and not only on flat, low pitches," Riley asserted.

The three-day tournament, which will revert to a round-robin format this year with all six teams playing each other, is tentatively set to start on July 4 and end on August 2 with the final of the one-day tournament.

Last year's tournament in St Kitts was badly affected by rain, and Barbados, who had played unbeaten in the one-day competition, missed out a chance to contest the final when their semi-final against Guyana, who had won the three-day title, was washed out.

Guyana, by virtue of finishing higher than Barbados, advanced to the final but lost to Jamaica by eight wickets.