What are you batting for?

Orville Higgins

November 28 will mark a new day in Jamaica's cricket. That day will see Milton Henry and Billy Heaven vying for the job of president of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA). At this time, it is anybody's guess who will win. Heaven is appealing to some of the delegates because of his proven leadership experience. He is currently chief executive officer of the CHASE Fund, and is well-respected in the hallowed halls of business. His cricket background, though, is virtually non- existent, and despite the acclaim with which he is held in the corporate world, there are those questioning his ability to run a cricket organisation.

The very opposite is true for Milton Henry. His affiliation with cricket is well known, and he has served Jamaica's cricket in numerous capacities going back many years. His cricket acumen and understanding of the intricacies of the game, both at the local and regional levels, can never be questioned. Henry, however, doesn't possess Heaven's national profile and isn't seen as having the same corporate clout. The importance of a background in cricket management as opposed to a background in running a national entity is really what the delegates will be deciding on. Which way they go will tell us a lot about what kind of person they feel should run Jamaica's cricket and shouldn't just be seen as a vote for one or the other.

For whoever wins, I have some advice that might be useful. The JCA over the last few years has come across as an organisation which isn't as proactive and aggressive as it should be in seeking revenue to run the various cricket programmes. Jamaica has been the top cricket country in the region over the last five years. No other country in the region has amassed the number of titles at all levels, and yet Jamaica struggles to find sponsorship. One year, it took Captain Horace Burrell, the man in charge of football, to put up money to run a limited-over cricket competition. Something has got to be wrong with that. Whoever wins, getting money in the JCA kitty is crucial. It cannot be as difficult to sell Jamaica's cricket to corporate sponsors as we have seen over the years.

The JCA must initiate a drive to have cricket played more extensively in primary schools. When West Indies was the best team in the world, the main reason was because cricket was part and parcel of the life of every Caribbean boy. I can't think of any Jamaican over, say, 40 years old, who didn't play some kind of cricket as a boy'. We played cricket as children in the '70s and '80s because it was simply the thing to do. We must get back to that. One way to do this could be a massive drive to have mini cricket gear in all primary schools. It's an ambitious proposition, but if it is done, Jamaica and West Indies cricket will benefit in the coming years.

more attractive

The JCA must find a way to make Senior Cup cricket more attractive to players. The Social Development Commission 20-20 community cricket competition offers a million dollars to the winning community, which is as much as five times what a team gets for winning our national senior club competitions. That is a bad state of affairs and is part of the reason why a lot of our cricketers are turning away from parish or club competitions and playing in the SDC community 20-20. If SDC cricket offers better compensation and has bigger crowds and more vibes than national club competitions, then the exodus of quality parish players to SDC competitions will continue, especially with an SDC rule that says only two parish or national players can play on a community team. So players are choosing. I foresee the day, not too long from now when, except for prospective or present national players, nobody will play parish cricket at all.

Age-group national players should be treated better. How about every youngster who makes a national cricket age-group team getting his books and lunch taken care of in the year(s) he is playing for Jamaica? That will provide an incentive for youngsters around the island to try and lift their game, even if cricket is not their ultimate career option. That will result in greater competition which raises quality all around. All of these suggestions cost money, and whoever is president of the JCA come the end of the month must see the JCA as an income-generating business, or else they will be merely marking time.

Orville Higgins is a sports journalist and talk-show host at KLAS FM. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com