CWC LOC Finance and Ticketing Manager Chateram Ramdihal told Stabroek News that the options would include asking sponsors to free up tickets given to them to sell if they are unable to take them all. They would also ask companies like Cricket Logistics that were given a number of tickets to sell in tour and hospital packages to return them if they cannot sell them. "This would expand our allotment for our local fans," Ramdihal said.

Additionally, he said, "in a worst-case scenario, we would build an additional 3,000 to 5,000 temporary seats, so that tickets could be sold in the second phase of public ticketing."

Ramdihal could not tell Stabroek News how many applications were made locally or how many applications were made for the Guyana matches, only saying that they were being analysed. These figures might not be available until mid-August, he said.

Once the analysis was through, it would be determined whether everyone would be entitled to tickets if the applications are less than the seats available or whether there would be a lottery to determine who gets tickets. Replies to applications for tickets would begin from mid-August.

However, he said the Guyana CWC LOC was looking at the design and feasibility study for temporary seating accommodation "so that all is not down for Guyana."

Though he could not say how many persons in Guyana applied for tickets online until the data becomes available, Ramdihal said somebody in Guyana could have also applied online for tickets in Barbados or Jamaica. However, he noted that based on applications made through the LOC ticketing centres, Guyana was in the top ten.

He said he was pleased with the ticket sales for Guyana. He said it had started slowly, but picked up towards the end.

ICC CWC 2007 Commer-cial Manager, Stephen Price, told Stabroek News over the weekend that, generally, ticket applications had been slow over the June period but he felt it was also due to the fact that another major world sporting event, the FIFA World Cup Football was taking place. He said once the football was over applications for the cricketing event to be held in the nine Caribbean countries went up, more so towards the end of the first phase.

The second phase of public ticketing starts on September 1 and goes through to November 30. Tickets would be allocated on a first-come first-serve basis. Ticketing centres would be available in all the host venues whether an individual host venue had been sold out or not. This is to facilitate sales in all venues which would include venues for warm-up matches. Persons who are unable to purchase tickets online at www.cricketworldcup.com may do so at the ticketing centres and would be able to pay in local currency or US dollars.

The third and final phase of public ticketing begins on January 9, 2007, and will end on the morning of the final on April 28, 2007 - again on a "first come, first served" basis, subject to availability - with actual seats being sold online, at official ticket centres and venue box offices in the host venues.

More than 800,000 match tickets were made available for the matches with prices ranging from US$10 for a single match ticket in warm-up games to US$300 each for the best seats at the final; a policy designed to give every fan an opportunity to enjoy the tournament.

According to a CWC West Indies 2007 release, there was a notable surge during the last 24 hours of the three-month application process which saw 20,000 tickets being applied for. This was half of the tickets applied for throughout the entire exercise.

The release said that as the first phase of applications ended on July 31, staff at official ticket centres across the nine host venues in the Caribbean - including Anti-gua & Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago - reported a significant increase in the number of fans submitting ticket application forms.

T&T official ticket centres were inundated with submissions. With the massive response by fans there, the twin-island republic has jumped to third overall among countries from which the most applications have been received. The top ten are the UK, the USA, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Australia, Jamaica, India, Canada, Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis, respectively. Fans from 124 countries have applied for match tickets, the ICC CWC 2007 release said.

Additionally, the Follow A Path and Venue Combination packages - which were only available in the application phase - continued to be in heavy demand. More than 8,000 Venue Combinations - which allow fans to watch all the matches at a particular stadium - have been applied for, while more than 3,000 Follow A Path packages are being sought. The latter allows a fan to choose the path which his/her team would travel if that team advances to the final.

The top five teams for which Follow A Path packages are in greatest demand are India, Australia, England, New Zealand and Pakistan, respectively. Additionally, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and St Lucia respectively are the Host Venues for which the most venue combinations have been requested.

Price is quoted as saying that the success of the application stage of public ticketing is an indication that cricket fans worldwide understood the process and had acted accordingly.

"It's an overwhelming vote of confidence in the Caribbean's ability to host such an event and it's certainly an indication that Cricket World Cup will be well attended," he said adding that, as was expected ticket allocations for some of the tournament's "top matches", including the semi-finals and finals, would have to be determined by an independent ballot.

The ICC CWC 2007 commercial manager reminded that though public ticketing would be suspended for the month of August - as applications are processed and notification sent to all applicants - match tickets can still be acquired in tour and travel packages from ICC CWC 2007 Official Travels Agents (OTAs) and in hospitality packages, which are being sold by ICC CWC 2007 Official Hospitality Agents (OHAs). Contact details for all OTAs and OHAs worldwide can be found on the CWC website.

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