One of the Barbados Cricket Association’s (BCA) new pitch inspectorsbelieves many Division 1 club grounds and facilities need to beupgraded

Haydn Gill18-Sep-2001One of the Barbados Cricket Association’s (BCA) new pitch inspectorsbelieves many Division 1 club grounds and facilities need to beupgraded.Vincent Lashley also believes the governing body should help clubsto beef up their facilities."Most of the grounds are in bad state. They are not really good forfielding," he told NATIONSPORT."Our grounds leave a lot to be desired. Some are bumpy and some arevoid of grass in some areas. They need constant management and theyneed someone with dedication to see that these grounds maintain a goodstandard."He was speaking after completing an inspection at the Cable & WirelessBET ground on Sunday’s final day of the sixth round Courts/SuzukiDivision 1 match between the hosts and United Carlton.Pitch inspectors, introduced this season following changes to theDivision 1 competition, have been mandated by the BCA to look at allaspects of the physical condition of clubs. Inspections are carriedout prior to and during matches.Lashley also said the pavilions of some clubs were not up to scratch."There are some which are up to standard, like Carlton and BET, butmost of the clubs still need improvement," he said. "One of the thingsI would like to recommend to the BCA is that they should work incollaboration with whoever constructs these things, and makedimensions for a minimum-sized room for players, especially thedressing areas."He added that it was also important for clubs to have an area whichumpires could utilise.Lashley, a longstanding member of Dover Club, which he said boasted of"fairly nice" facilities, said the BCA should try its best to assistthe clubs wherever possible."I would like to urge the clubs which need help to put some pressureon their parent organisation and look for sponsorship," he said."Don’t be afraid to beg. It will help. Most of the times you won’thave to depend on club funds. The BCA should be able to assist them."Provision for the use of covers at every Division 1 match wasintroduced this season, and Lashley said the clubs had made everyeffort to ensure that they were utilised in the best possible way."Since the grounds people have been informed of the pitch inspectors,they want to do a creditable job in order to gain the respect of theBCA," he said.