The past weeks and especially this weekend, have brought back great joy and excitement to cricket – something that was lost in the Caribbean with the West Indies Cricket team delivering less than favourable performances for the longest while.

Even those who would not normally have an interest in cricket, have taken time out to enjoy the sport that was for many years dominated by the West Indies.

Texas billionaire Sir Allen Stanford had taken the initiative a few years ago to help revive the sport in the Caribbean. Stanford moved into Antigua more than 20 years ago and became the second-biggest employer on the island after the Government.

His initiative which started with the first Twenty20 in 2006, has seen millions of dollars being pumped into cricket, both at the grassroots and professional levels.

Last September, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) agreed on a five-year franchise for the tournament and included it in its cricket programme.

Stanford went on to set up four professional teams, Anguilla, Antigua, Nevis and St. Lucia, with the promise of more to come.

The Virgin Islands (British), Turks and Caicos, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago, were given money for capital investment, coaches and player development, facilities and equipment.

Stanford has promised to continue such funding for the next three years and committed himself to a further investment of $100 million, $20 million of which will go into grassroots cricket.

With the winners of the tournament walking away with the $1million jackpot, Stanford did not fall short of his vision for the sport, and contributed $200,000 towards grassroots cricket programme for Trinidad and Tobago. The Jamaica team also benefited from $100,000 for similar programmes, along with the second place prize money of $500,000.

During a moving speech and emphasising his strong vision for Caribbean Cricket, at the handing over ceremony of the prize monies on Sunday evening, Stanford said what was most exciting about the Twenty20 cricket was to see the outpour of kids who turned up to see the games and the interest that it has generated in the sport.

He said he would like to see West Indies return to their glory days, and one way to do so is to invest in the young people who will be the players of tomorrow. He is very hopeful that his initiative will help to produce a “world beating” West Indies team in the next three years.

Meanwhile here in the Virgin Islands, cricketers are still faced with the lack of a proper training facility for cricket.

An after school cricket programme is an idea that has been tossed up while the Scotia Bank Kiddy Cricket Programme has shown the many talent that lies in the Territory’s youth.

But what will become of them if such a programme is not continued and if there is no upward mobility in the sport locally?

Indeed, not only cricket, but any sport that does not begin at the grassroots level will not be sustained effectively in the long term.

The new executive of the BVI Amateur Softball Association already has plans to return that sport into the schools, the BVI Football Association already has an after school programme, while the BVI Amateur Volleyball Association has started to focus on youth in their leagues.

The children are indeed the future, the importance of starting them off at an early age -- in any meaningful endeavour -- can never be overstated.

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