jan-2018

60 61 KENSINGTON OVAL B arbados’oldest andmuch beloved crick- et venue–KensingtonOval–sits on the outskirts of Bridgetown,withinwalking distance of the beach,and close enough to the seaport that cruise ships are visible from most parts of the compound.Government-owned, KensingtonOval Management Inc.oversees operations at theOval,including all facets of its incarnation as a popular sports and entertain- ment complex. In 1882,PickwickCricket Club leased 4 acres of pasture land fromKensington Plantation and de- veloped it as KensingtonOval–basically,a cricket groundwith a clubhouse.Later,in 1914,the Bar- bados Cricket Committee,forerunner of today’s Barbados CricketAssociation (BCA),bought the Oval,but Pickwick continued to lease the ground until 2004.The BCAmade significant investments over the years and,by2004,the propertyhad grown to just over seven acres. BenToppin,CEOof KensingtonOval Manage- ment,Inc.explains,“In 2007,KensingtonOval was transformed tomeet international cricket and safety standards for the finals of the CricketWorld Cup (ICCCWC2007).The government thought it MAKE IT MEMORABLE KENSINGTON OVAL AT A GLANCE KENSINGTON OVAL WHAT: Renowned cricket ground; sports and entertainment venue WHERE: Bridgetown, Barbados WEBSITE: www.kensingtonoval.org