Dehring - photo by Denis Kingsley

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada (CMC):

Cricket World Cup chief Chris Dehring has sought to dispel some of the "myths" which he says surrounds key regulations for the tournament.

Speaking here on the weekend, Dehring said there was much mis-information relating to ticket prices, music and entertainment, food and spectator attendances.

"It's very, very simple and let's dispel some of the myths," Dehring challenged.

"First of all, there are reasonably priced tickets available to Cricket World Cup matches. Tickets in the group and Super Eight stage have started as low as 15 dollars (US). Certainly now in the Super Eights you can get tickets for 25 dollars US. These prices in most of the countries are lower than the comparable price for a One-Day International match in the West Indies.

"In many cases, it is actually cheaper to go to a World Cup game than if you were going to a normal West Indies game, so we need to come out and support the fellows," he contended.

Dehring, the tournament's chief executive and managing director, also denied allegations that Cricket World Cup regulations had prevented spectators from bringing musical instruments to matches.

"Music is played in the party stands at matches ... there have been great parties, music has been played, people are bringing their musical and that then corrects another myth - musical instruments in fact are not banned, they are not prohibited," Dehring argued.

"Musical instruments, your drums, your conch shells, your horns, they are allowed. It's just that there is a registration process to do that, but we are making it even much easier. You don't have to register before the game anymore, fans can bring their musical instruments on the day, straight to the game and right at the gate we will just be able to register that you are taking in your instruments right there."

HICCUPS

Dehring said the new regulations had been introduced so as to remove any hiccups persons experienced in maintaining the West Indian flavour at matches.

"All of that is being done to make sure there is absolutely no obstacle for people bringing their musical instruments," he stressed.

"To be frank, lots of people have brought musical instruments before. Certainly Sabina Park was packed full of music, drums beating in the stands, and horns blowing and conch shell blowing. Certainly so too in Guyana."

Pointing to the issue of food being disallowed from stadia, Dehring said he was mystified about where the public had gotten this idea.

"People are permitted to bring their own food. I don't know where that myth came from, but lots of people have been bringing their own food to cricket, that is part of traditional West Indies culture. We would never try and stop that," Dehring pointed out.

"What is not permitted is over-sized or hard-sided containers and glass bottles and that's for obvious reasons. You don't want to have these massive igloos and so on that will take up somebody else's seat."

Low attendances

Speaking to the problem of low attendances during the tournament to date, Dehring said one of the problems was motivating persons who had actually bought tickets, to attend the matches.

"We have 75 per cent of the tickets available for sale out there in the market place either sold or distributed to patrons and sponsors," Dehring stated.

"There are lots of tickets that have gone out there and some of the attendances you are seeing are fans who have not necessarily showed up because they are perceiving that some of the teams they might have wanted to see are no longer there - an India, a Pakistan or even the West Indies - and they are despondent.

"But those fans that are holding those tickets, you need to turn out and come and support the West Indies."