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 GORDON WILLIAMS

C ricket, a sport the
S Caribbean inherited from
 its colonial past but
which bonds its people to this
day, will, beginning this month,
showcase its grandest spectacle
when the region hosts the ulti-
mate championships for the
one-day version of the game.
 The International Cricket
Council's (ICC) Cricket World
Cup (CWC) 2007, featuring
16 countries, including the
C(,rib,,Iiin s representative
the West Indies, will be played
in eight countries across the
region.
 Official activities begin
with the Mar. 11 opening cere-
mony in Trelawny, Jamaica.
The first match is on Mar. 13,
when host West Indies plays
Pakistan at Sabina Park in
Kingston, Jamaica. The tourna-
ment culminates with the final
on April 28 at Kensington Oval
in Barbados.
 A total of 51 official games
will be played, with an estimat-
ed live and broadcast audience
of close to two billion world-
wide. It will be the largest
sporting event ever held in the
Caribbean. The winning team
is set to earn $2.2 million and
the ICC expects to generate
more than $230 million in rev-
enue from the tournament.


Despite doubters, Cricket World Cup's Chief Ex
Chris Dehring, left, and WICB President Ken Go
the Caribbean can pull off a grand show for th
 Administrators in the
Caribbean have long expressed
confidence in delivering an
exciting, safe and well-organ-
ized tournament.
 "We do rise to the occa-
sion," CWC's Chief Executive
Officer Chris Dehring told
Caribbean Today earlier in the
preparations.
 "We're very confident that
we're going to deliver," he
would add later.

FEVER
 The CWC fever has been
steadily heating up over the
past few months in the
Caribbean. Host countries
have spent millions of dollars
getting match venues ready


CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


 while also
 sprucing up
 tourist attrac-
 tions for the
 expected mas-
 sive influx of
 visitors. Teams
 began arriving
 late last
 month.
 Caribbean
 leaders have
 also bonded
 for the event
 with wide-
ecutive Officer spread co-
trdon are confident operation in
e world. many areas,
 including the
delicate area of security, for
which help has been sought
from international agencies
worldwide.
 It also appears most peo-
ple from the region are expect-
ing grand success as well,
although some recognize that
there are still doubters who
may not believe the Caribbean
can put on an efficient show.
 "(CWC 2007) has got to be
the greatest spectacle we would
have had here for many a
year," Clive Lloyd, who cap-
tained the West Indies to the
first two CWC titles in 1975 and
1979, told the Caribbean Media
Corporation late last month.
 "It is a situation where we
 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)


Law enforcement authori-
 ties said last month that
 several suspects held in
connection with a multi-million
dollar lottery scam in Jamaica
could be extradited to the
United States.

 American inv'

 to Antigua's
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC -
Billionaire American investor
Sir Allen Stanford has extended
the proverbial "olive branch" to
end his verbal feud with
Antigua and Barbuda's Prime
Minister Baldwin Spencer.
 Both men have been
engaged in a recent war of words
over Sir Allen's decision to take
his plans to develop the off-shore
Guiana Island into a top class
resort and launch a community
development initiative in select
constituencies including that of
the prime minister.
ACCUSATIONS
 Spencer accused Sir Allen of
political meddling and branded
him "haughty, obnoxious and
arrogant" to which Sir Allen said
the outburst was designed "to
deflect the attention of the citi-
zens of our nation away from
your inept leadership."


March 2007


 "The scam is becoming
 wider and more intense than we
 first anticipated...there is a dis-
 tinct possibility that some of
 these persons who have been
 charged could be extradited to
 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)

estor apologies

prime minister


Spencer Stanford
 Sir Allen has published an
apology in his Antigua SUN
newspaper and the Daily
OBSEVER newspaper, calling
for an end to the public squabble.
 "My only desire is to see
Antigua and Barbuda be devel-
oped to its fullest potential", the
statement read in part. "I recog-
nize the need for cooperation to
attain that goal and in that spirit
apologize to those who may have
deemed my actions offensive".
 Up to press time Spencer
had not yet responded to the
latest development.
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Caribbean aims to stage spectacular CWC 2007


U.S. residents conned

in Jamaica lotto scam


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