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The iconic Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) welcomed cricket back to its hallowed turf on Thursday after a 16-year hiatus, as Guyana faced Jamaica in the West Indies Rising Stars Under-15 Tournament, much to the delight of cricket administrators and fans alike.
Kuma Rodney, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association and Director of West Indies Cricket, expressed his satisfaction at seeing the historic venue hosting cricket again.
“I’m very, very pleased to see cricket at the ARG,” Rodney stated. “There’s no secret that I’ve been saying, even when we brought back the grounds as a training venue for the ICC World Cup, that cricket should be played here.”
Rodney has long advocated for the venue to host local, sub-regional, and regional cricket matches, but noted that “the powers that be did not see it that way.” He hopes this latest event will demonstrate the venue’s enduring appeal.
The tournament has already attracted significant international support, with fans traveling from across the Caribbean to watch the young cricketers.
“Trinidad supporters are out here in numbers supporting their youths. The Barbados support is out here supporting their youths and the Guyanese. Barbados has the most, and Trinidad also has some numbers,” Rodney observed, highlighting the economic benefit these traveling supporters bring to Antigua.
When asked about his greatest memories at the ARG, Rodney didn’t hesitate: “I can’t say one, I’ll have to say the two record-breaking innings by Brian Lara and obviously the fastest century by Viv Richards. Those would stand out in my mind.”
A former umpire and facilitator of the Antigua and Barbuda Umpires Association also expressed his joy at seeing cricket return to what he called “the most historical cricket venue in the universe.”
“I am very pleased to see that we have cricket there once again, and I just hope that it will not just be a one-off but a continuous thing back to the olden days,” he said.
The former official recalled Lara’s historic 365 in 1994 and his subsequent 400* in 2004, both achieved at the ARG. He also shared a personal memory from his umpiring days about “the fastest first over I ever seen in my life” from a bowler known as Golden Prince, who unfortunately suffered an injury shortly afterward.
In the current tournament match at this storied venue, Jamaica defeated Guyana by seven wickets, adding another chapter to the ARG’s rich cricketing history after its 16-year absence from hosting formal cricket matches.
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