Ste Madeleine cricket ground an eyesore

ONE of the premier cricket venues in South Trinidad, the Usine Ste Madeleine Cricket ground, is now a run-down eyesore in the cricket-mad village of Ste Madeleine. Recently Newsday visited the ground popularly called the “Grandstand” by villagers and saw it overrun by high grass with a filthy, run-down pavilion. And the Usine Ste Madeleine cricket team which occupied the ground is now struggling to make up eleven willing players to go out to represent the village. A former member of the club told Newsday since the closure of Caroni 1975 Ltd, no care has been taken of  the ground. “Caroni took care of the ground because it belonged to the company. Now the Sugar Company of Trinidad and Tobago has taken over and they haven’t seen it fit to employ someone to take care of the ground that was so dear to us. We are calling on the South Zonal Council and by extension the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) to come forward and help us out so that we can revive cricket in the area.

“Cricket in the country is only as strong as the zones and hence we need the South Zone to assist us in getting back on track. We are also calling on the businessmen in the area and the Princes Town Regional Corporation to help us prepare the ground for cricket.” Usine Ste Madeleine Cricket Club produced some great players in their history, among them ex-Indian Test spinner Subash Gupte, Khairool Hosein, Errol John, Vincent Mapp and Robert Ramoutar. Another ground previously owned by Caroni 1975 Ltd, Gilbert Park, California, has been taken over by W Connection boss David John-Williams, who has upgraded the facility and made it better that before, and are now sponsors of the Wanderers Cricket team.