Tony BeccaI am not one of those Jamaicans who believe that Jamaica is the greatest place on earth, that it is blessed with the greatest people on earth, and among other things, that it is the most beautiful place on earth.
I am one of those Jamaicans who, based on my experience, believe that Jamaica, in spite of its many problems, is one of the greatest places on earth, that it is blessed with some of the greatest people on earth, and among other things, that it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
I am also one of those Jamaicans who do not envy what other countries have and who, instead, enjoy what they have to offer and especially so when those countries, like those in the Caribbean, share so much in common with Jamaica, including our history, our culture, our dreams and aspirations.
CRICKET OASIS
Right now, however, I must confess that I envy the people of Antigua and it has nothing to do with the fact that Antigua is home to Sir Vivian Richards, one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.
The reason why, right now, I envy the people of Antigua is because of a place in St. John's called Sticky Wicket.
Situated next door to the V.C. Bird International airport, the Sticky Wicket, owned by American billionaire R. Allen Stanford, is a cricket field with a restaurant and bar and it is no ordinary cricket field, restaurant and bar.
The cricket field is well grassed, there is a lovely stand at one end of the ground and there is a magnificent pavilion looking out into the sea at the other.
It is surrounded by palm trees and beautiful flowering plants, upstairs in the pavilion is a top-of-the-line restaurant and bar both
of which feature sports on a number of TV monitors, calypso, steelband, soca and reggae music.
HALL OF FAME'S HOME
And all over are photographs, huge photographs, of some of the greatest moments and some of the greatest players in the history of West Indies cricket.
Sticky Wicket is the home of the West Indies Cricket Hall of Fame. In front of the pavilion is a large bronze statue showing a right-handed batsmen in action, on the walls behind it are the faces and short biographies, in bronze, of the first 12 cricketers inducted into the hall of fame in 2003, and in the middle of the round-about just in front of Sticky Wicket is a water fountain which, in hot Antigua, is like an oasis.
In fact, Sticky Wicket itself is so beautiful that in the day, and as beautiful as Antigua is, it is also like an oasis.
FANTASTIC SIGHT
In the night, however, it is more than that. In the night, with the floodlights on, Sticky Wicket is a fantastic sight. Coming on to it from the airport, or from the city, it is a striking picture so magnificent that it is like something out of a fairytale.
According to the Stanford Financial Group, Sticky Wicket embraces the sport of cricket and welcomes patrons to a world of tradition and sportsmanship. According to Antiguans, it
has added to the attraction of Antigua, and there is no question about that.
Sticky Wicket is a jewel in Antigua's crown, but for its sea and sun, it is the real jewel, and even if it means running the risk of being labelled copycats, even if they do not have a Sanford to bank roll the venture, it would be nice if the other Caribbean territories, those where cricket is played and those which are tourists destinations, could come up with something similar.
It would be nice, for example, if Jamaica, with its history of playing cricket and its reputation of producing great cricketers, with its dependency on tourism and in its bid to attract more tourists out of the United Kingdom, had one or two - one on the way to Kingston from the Norman Manley International Airport or in Kingston itself, one in Montego Bay close to the Donald Sangster International Airport or on the way to Negril.
