A committee set up by the West Indies Cricket Board is to distribute US$500,000 among Anguilla and a number of other regional islands where sporting facilities were damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September last year.
In a statement to The Anguillian newspaper on Wednesday, September 26, Mr. Cardigan Connor, Parliamentary Secretary with responsibility for sports, said the money was raised in London. The fundraising events were a cricket match involving a team from the International Cricket Council against one from the Rest of the World played at Lord’s; and a dinner on Anguilla Day, May 30, 2018.
Among those at the events were former Foreign Secretary with the UK Government, Boris Johnson; Baroness Scotland; Mr. Connor, Anguilla’s former English County cricketer, now Parliamentary Secretary, Sports; Clive Lloyd, CBE, former West Indies Captain; David Gower, OBE; Dave Cameron, West Indies Cricket President; and Brian Lara. It was the first match involving the International Cricket Council and the Rest of the World at Lord’s since 1966.
Mr. Connor could not say what portion of the money will be coming to Anguilla where pavilions at the Ronald Webster Park, the island’s premier playing field, were severely damaged. He said that, in addition to the publicity which Anguilla received at the international cricket match and the dinner, the island further benefited, as a tourist destination, from a number of marketing events including a panel discussion and other functions.
