Stanford clash in doubt after court ruling

Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor

THE US$20 million Stanford Super Series is in jeopardy following a British High Court ruling yesterday that has ordered the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to lift its sanc-tioning of the game scheduled for Antigua on November 1.

The High Court told the WICB that its sanction of the event puts it in breach of the contract with its sponsor.

Bear legal costs

Unless a deal is worked out, the WICB also stands to lose US$3.5 million of the US$20 million put up by the organisers, which was guaranteed. The WICB also has to bear legal costs for the court proceedings.

The board had been taken to court by Digicel because the telecommunications provider was dissatisfied at being excluded from exercising its marketing privileges to the team as per its contractual arrangements for the November 1 match.

Additionally, the court ruling bars all members under central contracts with the West Indies team from participating, effectively ruling out the West Indies' marquee players in captain Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, its most dependable batsman, and his Guyanese counterpart, Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Seeking guarantees

However, according to a source who requested anonymity, Digicel is still interested in facilitating the series as long as its rights as the WICB sponsor are honoured.

Executives from the sponsor and Stanford were said to be involved in a meeting after the verdict was handed down.

The source noted that initially "Digicel was willing to compromise its position", but certain guarantees had to be met.

One stated, "There could be no other telecoms entity involved in the event" and a second noted that their "legal fees had to be covered". Those two were agreed on.

In a telephone interview, the source, who is in London, further disclosed that the main and final sticking point surrounded the board's acceptance that the Stanford superstars team was, in fact, a West Indies side, which permits branding rights to Digicel.

If negotiations between Digicel and the organisers fail, the Stanford group can still host its event without contracted West Indies players among its superstars.

Select side

Besides the Stanford superstars team, a select side comprising players from the regional Stanford Twenty20 competition, an England team, English Twenty20 champions Middlesex and Trinidad and Tobago, champions of the regional Stanford Twenty20 series, were slated to participate in the slugfest.

As the major sponsor of the WICB and the regional team it controls, Digicel has branding privileges for matches sanctioned by the board.

Such marketing and promotional rights include pitch mats, signboards, stumps, jerseys, sightscreens, advertising on television and giveaways to spectators.