A groundbreaking corporate sponsorship initiative in the mid-1980s fundamentally transformed cricket development across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), creating a pipeline for world-class talent that would shape West Indies cricket for decades. The program emerged from a critical discovery in 1985 when the OECS Sports Desk learned that Grenada’s secondary school cricket competition had been suspended due to funding shortages within the Ministry of Education.
This alarming situation prompted an investigation into whether similar gaps existed across member states. The solution emerged through strategic engagement with United Insurance, which maintained regional offices throughout the OECS. Company executive Tommy Pearce, himself a former Wanderers Cricket Club player with deep cricket connections through his father’s West Indies Cricket Board service, recognized the program’s potential.
The resulting sponsorship package provided each member state’s Ministry of Sport with XCD10,000 to establish structured secondary school competitions. The funding mechanism operated through United Insurance’s local offices, with ministries required to submit detailed competition reports and ensure sponsor recognition in all media communications.
The program’s impact proved extraordinary, producing numerous Test players including Dominica’s Shane Shillingford, Grenada’s Junior Murray, Montserrat’s Lionel Baker, Saint Lucia’s Daren Sammy, and St. Vincent’s Sunil Ambris. Beyond international stars, the initiative developed hundreds of first-class players across Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The OECS Sports Desk complemented this with specialized development programs including the region’s first commentary workshop hosted by Tony Cozier and Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira, wicketkeeping clinics by Michael Finley and Jackie Hendricks that produced Ridley Jacobs and Junior Murray, and fast bowling sessions led by Andy Roberts and Colin Croft.
Additional support came from Barclays Bank’s four-year sponsorship of Windwards First Class competitions and continued backing from United/Massy Insurance. This comprehensive ecosystem demonstrates how strategic corporate partnerships can overcome governmental funding limitations to create sustainable sports development programs with lasting impact.