D'Angel (left) takes a call while Rebecca Silvera gives our camera man all her attention.
My dears, there's nothing that unites the people of the Caribbean as cricket. And in recent years, there has been lots of innovation to the art of enjoying the sport!
First, there was the addition of the mound, a concept designed primarily to engage the younger generation of potential West Indian fans. And then there were the corporate boxes - to some another sign of what was wrong with the game. To many, the boxes represented a bygone era of stuffy fuddy-duddies, more interested in profiling and recounting stories of the good old days, far removed from reality and trapped in theperceived glory of yesteryear.
With the advent of the mound, and its huge success as a stimulus promoting and attracting new interests, the approach to the game, vis-à-vis the manner and environment in which fans come to enjoy same, must move from the desultory to the participatory, albeit still vicariously! With this in mind, corporate Jamaica invested in boxes at Sabina Park, with a view of infusing new and exciting life for those whom it fêtesduring cricketing season.
Ever the innovators and leaders, Digicel Jamaica upped the ante and have transformed its sky box at Sabina from a mere lofty perch to an interactive VIP lounge. The VIPs are clients, the stalwarts and leading protagonists of the game, as well as many and varied beneficiaries of its corporate largesse.
centre of the universe
Well, my dears, on Sunday last week, Sabina Park was the place to be, but more specifically, Digicel Jamaica's box, as this was the centre of the universe, for the second in the one-day-series. Luvs, it was a meeting of the cricketing world, high society, celebs and pop culture. Dears, in the world ofcorporate Jamaica, as a result of its high profile, snazzy products and media savvy, no other company enjoys the celebrity status that Digicel Jamaica does, and then some!
So with India having given the West Indian team a broadside two days earlier, Sunday's match took on more of an urgency for West Indian supporters. It was more about a grudge match, based on revenge, in avenging Friday's 20-run defeat, than anything else. And with Digicel' head, Mark Linehan, and his lovely Vincentian wife, Leisha, playing host at Sabina, y'all know that the Digicel box was the vantage point from which to enjoy the game and the only place to see and be seen!
Oh my word, what a day!
Dears, those in the know would have heard of strawberries and cream at Wimbledon! Well, in Kingston, at the Digicel box, it was all about mimosas and cheese at cricket. And with the guests arriving from 9 a.m. and the game lasting way into the mid-afternoon, y'all know we are talking the whole enchilada here!
The lounge is plush, equipped with two plasma party-sized television screens and a tiered balcony, with full-bar service, breakfast, lunch and tea treats, during the game. And when we say full-bar service, we do mean exactly that and more! And with the fab Jackie Tyson, catering, y'all know we are talking grand style here and how!
comfortable
And luvs, it only got better as with the hosts' management team out in full force giving support to Mark and Leisha Linehan who saw to the comfort of their guests. They were joined by Niall Sheehy, head of Digicel Business; Trisha Thompson, corporate relations manager; Kerry-Ann Robinson, corporate relations executive; Shelly-Ann Curran, senior sponsorship manager; plus a number of others.
And then there was the cricket! With the West Indies giving the visiting Indian team quite the walloping, Indian fans were in seventh heaven, satisfied that the team had restored its dignity. There was no holding back and what started as a muted party, magnified into a full blast by the time the last boundary secured the victory. libations flowed like everybody's business
Among those spotted were Indian High Commissioner HE Mohinder Grover; Spanish Ambassador HE Jesus Silva; former head of Digicel the affable David Hall; cricketing legend Lance Gibbs; father of West Indies cricket captain, Dudley Gayle; Paul Issa of Couples Resorts; socialite Jennifer Lim and daughter, Liz McAdam; Richard Stewart of Stewart Motors; vice-president, SuperClubs chain, Jag Mehta; the stunning Suzie Benjamin; noted lawyer, Wentworth Charles and his beautiful wife, Samantha; his nephew, Peter Charles.
Also out were Dr Wesley Hughes; Scotiabank's Bruce Bowen and his lovely wife, Suzanne; Mark McKenzie and his fabulous wife, Betty; the always lovely Audrey Marks Dunstan; Colin Steele; the charmingly lovely Sandra Shirley; the legendary Ali McNab; Lauris Goldson and son, Dr Lloyd Goldson; Couples Resorts' Glen Lawrence and his daughter, lovely Rachel Gore; Norman Horne; National Water Commission's E.G. Hunter; CVM Television's Dr David McBean; the lovely Bernadette Barrow; Harry and AnnMarie Smith.
We spotted noted lawyer, Douglas Thompson; Sylvia Baghaloo; Bruce James and wife, Pascale; Mervyn Eyre; the charming Pam Bunting; Allison Stewart; Keith Garvey; Dollis Campbell; Ian and Desiree Pullen; the lovely Joyce DeSouza; the fab Cindy Lightbourne; the beautiful Rebecca Silvera; the lovely D'Angel; the fluffy Miss Kitty; fans out of Canada: Faz Mirza; Lee Persaud and Walter Wailoo; plus a number of others.
From left: Dr Peter Charles; his uncle, Wentworth Charles; Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, minister of sports, youth and culture, and Dr St Aubyn Bartlett are in a jovial mood at Sabina Park on Sunday for the second one-day international between the West Indies and India. - Photos by Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Lorna Golding (right), wife of the prime minister, expresses her joy to Olivia 'Babsy' Grange over the fabulous picture of President Barack Obama and herself that was just emailed to her.
Joan Forrest-Henry (left) hangs out with Andrea C. Whyte inside the Scotiabank box.
Wesley Hughes (left) and Colin Steele seem to be discussing a lot more than cricket.