?Fifty-five years ago, the youths of Standard Road, Fyzabad, cleared a patch of lagoon lands, backfilled it and began using it to play cricket. Today, the uneven "lagoon park" has developed into a two-and-a-half acre professional recreation ground used for football, cricket, jogging and other sports. The ground, located between Fyzabad and Siparia, is the home of Standard Sports Cub, an organisation which has already produced outstanding cricketers. However, while the Siparia Regional Corporation assists sometimes with the upkeep of the ground, there are no lights to facilitate night-time sports. During an interview yesterday, president of the club, Ramchand Ramdhanie, said they had been lobbying for lights for the past five years.
"Our ground is a hub of activity for the young people of Siparia and Fyzabad. We have children from the Siparia Road Presbyterian School, Siparia Road KPA School, Fyzabad Composite, Fyzabad Secondary School and several other organisations using our grounds," he said. "Sports keeps children away from crime. It assists in personal development and it contributes to family life because families go to the grounds to participate in sports," Ramdhanie said. He noted, however, that because of the absence of lights, the club could not host night-time sports. Ramdhanie explained that the club had more than 120 members and numerous letters were written to the Siparia Regional Corporation requesting lights.
