TT cricketers nab Angostura $$

The Trinidad and Tobago senior national cricketers collected $42,000 yesterday from Angostura Limited, as incentives for their performances in the 2003 Carib Beer Series regional tournament.

The cheque was handed over to manager of the team Omar Khan at the Oak Room of  Angostura, Laventille yesterday. The national team failed to win the Carib Beer Cup but reached the semi-finals of the Carib Beer International One-Day series. Angostura Limited, who have been offering rich incentives for outstanding performances for the past 15 years had a cap of $75,000 for this year’s tournament but the players missed out on $33,000. Corporate Communications Manager at Angostura Giselle LaRonde-West, a former Miss World (1986), said her company may again offer the $75,000 incentive for the 2004 series.

It was her hope that the national cricketers can cash in more next time around. “After being around the national cricketers for the past couple of seasons, I know that the money is needed by the players. You all must strive to achieve more and take away the $75,000 the next time around,” she said. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), Alloy Lequay said he was not happy with the fact that the players won just more than half. “You have to set yourselves a higher mark and strive to get bigger scores and more wickets in order to take away more money. I will make it my business to circulate to you a list of the incentives and it is up to you to want to achieve and work hard at it,” he said.

Khan said the players were settling for average performances and must raise the level of their  game. “Dudnath Ramkeesoon, chairman of the national team preparations and I had a meeting last week and we decided that players will only be given incentives for scores of over 80 runs and more than five wickets in an innings. We must not settle for 30s and 40s, we must move on to greater scores and this will lift our game,” he said.