No Brian Lara Stand for Oval

The spanking new stand on the south eastern end of the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain will have a seating capacity of 3,500 but will not be named the Brian Lara Stand as widely reported. This according to general manager of the  Oval, Richard Nieves yesterday. “The stand will hold about 3,500 patrons which is an increase of 1,000 from the old one. The previous open stand housed about 2,500 patrons at matches.We will now have complete seating area on two levels so that 1,000 more can be accommodated for international matches and  the World Cup,” Nieves said. The West Indies will host the 2007 Cricket World Cup and Queen’s Park is expected to be a major venue. Nieves also revealed that the stand will not be named after current West Indies captain Brian Lara.

“If that is the case we at Queen’s Park have no knowledge. As far as we are concerned the stand is sponsored by three companies and will be named accordingly. Carib, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and  Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago are the sponsors of the stand and their names will be posted,” he said. Nieves who took over from West Indies selector Joey Carew as manager of the premier sporting facility added that the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) offices will be located on the ground floor of the stand. The current location of the Cricket Board Box will be reportedly converted into a media centre. The TTCB are also taking one of the Corporate Boxes on the third floor of the stand for their specially invited guests. The stand is nearing completion and will open for the England versus West Indies matches in Trinidad next month.